Saving Valerie
by GooseBerries18
Summary: Valerie wasn't going to get involved in Forks, Washington. When she has to move across the country to finish her senior year, she becomes determined to make the least impact possible on the new people in her life. She just never expected for them to make an impact on her first.
1. Prologue: What Is and What Can Never Be

**Hello all! This is the rewrite of Inner Demons on my page. I had the idea for this character several years ago when I was truly invested in the Twilight fandom for the first time. I fell out of the fandom before I could write the fic. Over the summer I began to write the fic after falling in love with the books and movies again, but I wasn't happy with how the pacing and characters were turning out. So, about a month ago I decided to begin rewriting it. The basic plot is the same and of course Valerie, my character, is the same. There are differences in the chapters, though.**

 **So, my plan is to follow the book universe. This means Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett are Seniors. Also, since in the books Bella arrives in January, the Twilight plot will be covered in this fic! Just a bit later down the road, as this fic begins in September of that same school year. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE  
** _What Is and What Can Never Be_

* * *

The rain was pouring down in sheets and under any other circumstances would have chilled me to the bone. The sun didn't even have the decency to show up for me. I hadn't imagined what this day would look like in detail, but I always thought the sun would be shining bright in the sky as people gathered to say goodbye. All of us would be standing together under the rays, smiling sadly at the memories as the life of a person was reduced to just that; memories.

Teenagers didn't often think about life after death. Why should they? Teenage hearts feel everything in full; emotions weigh them down and lift them up more than any adult. Teenagers fall in love harder, faster, but also break down with as much speed. An off comment made by an acquaintance was enough to send some adolescents into a spiraling fit of fear and anxiety, much less the question of what happens when a person dies. The inevitability of being reduced to absolutely nothing would be enough for any teenager to curl up in a ball and never leave the house again.

Yet, I stood on a hill watching a funeral from a distance; a funeral I'd imagined for months. In my visions, I was always in attendance. The least I could do was clear the distance and pay my respects to the person who died. I had to say goodbye lest the questions weigh me down. Where would they go now? Is there judgement for the way that person lived their life, or will they be forgiven in time?

I used to believe everyone was given a second chance. Everyone had a chance to make up for their sins by being grateful for the life they'd been allowed to live. I couldn't imagine not being forgiven for the sins of life for eternity. After all, forever is a long time.


	2. New Beginnings

**Hello all! This is the writer again. I want to apologize for not getting the first chapter up last night as planned. Soon after I posted the Prologue, my internet decided to crash!**

 **I also just wanted to say thank you for giving this rewrite a chance. I know it's a bit different and I know it's a pain to have to reread a lot of the same basic plot here but I know it'll be worth it. I love the character of Valerie Dryden that I created over the years and I just felt she deserved much more than what I'd given her in Inner Demons. Don't get me wrong, most of what happened in Inner Demons will be happening in Saving Valerie. The difference is, I want you to be able to get to know her and to get to know her friends. I also wasn't happy with Will and how he was just alone. I wanted to give him a family and I want to eventually explain why they haven't seen each other in ten years. All in due time!**

 **Anyway, I hope you like this and if you did, let me know! I love to see reactions, what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you think I can improve on! Seeing reviews and things honestly makes my day, so I'd love it if you took the time to leave me one if you have a thought on what I can do better or on what I've done well.**

 **Thank you!**

 **\- Goose**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**  
 _New Beginnings_

* * *

Roseville, Alabama had been my home for seventeen years. With a population of about five thousand people the town was intimate, to say the least. It was impossible to keep anything a secret in Roseville and rumors spread like wildfire. If a person missed church, by Monday morning the entire town would know the suspected reason why. That was why when my mom died, it became impossible for me to stay. Will had offered to move his family down to Roseville so I could complete my senior year at home, but I couldn't accept. It would be ridiculous to ask my brother to uproot his life for me, and it would be too difficult to stay with all the watchful eyes and apologetic casseroles. So, I ended up packing my bags and driving to an even smaller town on the other side of the country, if that were possible.

Forks, Washington, population 3,545; where it rained just about every day. It was only September but still I found myself pulling my arms around my middle in a sorry attempt at staying warm. If this was the weather in Forks, I was doomed for the next nine months. I was used to ninety degree weather for most of the year with an extremely mild winter. Only once ever had I seen snow, and even then it was hardly enough to give the ground a dusting. I would have to drive to Seattle sometime to go shopping for weather-proper clothes before the real winter hit.

Will had stayed behind after the trial to help me pack up my belongings and now sat in the passenger seat of the car. After several days in the same car and hotel rooms, I'd come to realize that he spews off random facts when he's nervous. Was I aware that the state flower of Washington was the rhododendron? In truth, I didn't know what a rhododendron was at all. I hated having my older brother in the car with me for the drive. It just reminded me that he was volunteering to take care of me for the next nine months and wasn't complaining about it at all. The tightness in my chest and anxious feeling in my heart never went away. The lingering guilt for having him take me in was enough, especially considering he already had a family of his own; a family I was intruding on by moving in with them while I finish high school. What made the guilt worse was having him take an extra three days to drive with me to Forks when he could have easily taken a plane back with his wife and kid.

It seemed impossible that Will got married. While we didn't exactly grow up together, our parents always had complaints about him. He was, what my parents considered, a "floozy". The man had a new girl every night all through college, so I assumed it would be the same through adulthood. I had heard from our parents all about his exploits but never about his marriage. I'm not sure our parents even attended the ceremony, and if we got an invitation I never saw it. Apparently he'd gotten married at twenty-one and soon had a little girl of his own, named Laura-Rose. She preferred to go by Laurie, she told me. The girl was energetic, that much was clear in the one day I'd spent with her in Alabama. She was similar to the nervous ball of energy grabbing a box from my car's trunk.

"Aunt Val!" a small, high-pitched voice squealed. A flash of blond sped from the front door of a double story home only to wrap her arms tight around me. "I missed you!" How could she have missed me if she just met me a few days ago?

Smiling still hurt. When I smiled, my chest physically ached. It felt like a betrayal to feel happy when my mother had died a couple months ago. Still, I figured Laurie wouldn't stop cracking jokes and squealing until I gave her a proper response. Not only that, but I owed it to Will and his wife to be the perfect guest in their home. They didn't have to take me in; they could have left me to a foster home and raise their own daughter. Instead, for whatever reason, Will chose to take in a sister he hardly knew, a sister who was eleven years younger than him who he hadn't seen since he graduated high school nearly ten years before. Besides, it was impossible to keep a straight face around the ever-bubbly Laurie Dryden. "I missed you, too, munchkin," I responded lightly, returning her hug before moving to help Will with the boxes.

"I wanna help!" Laurie exclaimed, rushing over to the trunk and holding her arms out. Being around such an energetic personality would get tiring, I finally concluded. I could only hope I'd be getting my own room, lest I forfeit my time to deal with all that's happened lately. While I didn't want to wallow, I hadn't exactly had time alone to process all that had happened yet. I was constantly being barraged in Roseville about it, and now I would have to keep up a light persona around Will's family. The last thing I wanted them to be stuck with was my sorrow when I knew I could get past it myself, given the time.

"Do you want the most important job of all?" I asked her then, bending down some to be eye level with the little girl. Her blond hair was pulled up into two straight pigtails. Her gray eyes twinkled as she stared at me, and I could see a few freckles across her cheeks already. One of her front teeth was missing, which explained the light lisp when she spoke. When she nodded excitedly, I continued, "This is my purse. It's the most important bag here. Can you carry this inside for me?" I handed her my small bag and watched as she marched inside, a determined expression clear on her face. The girl was on a mission, and there was nothing that could stop her from accomplishing it. I had to wonder if my mom had ever met her granddaughter, and if she saw the resemblance of herself in Laurie.

"You're good with her," Will observed as we walked up the drive to the home. The house was typical of an American family; two stories with white trim around the house. A small porch sat against the front of the house with two white chairs and a little Dora the Explorer chair beside them. It once again reminded me that I was the intruder here. It also reminded me that Will had built the perfect life for himself here in Forks. Why Forks, I would never know; but it seemed to work for him. "What do you think of Forks so far?"

"I think I'll like it here." From the look in Will's gray eyes, it was clear he knew I was lying. High school was already tough, but adding being the new girl made it nearly impossible, especially for my senior year. I didn't want to bother with meeting new people. In fact, I hardly wanted to bother with Forks at all. I would keep my grades up and graduate as planned, then get the hell away from the miniscule town. The plan did not include making new friends or getting involved in extracurriculars. I didn't even want to get close to Will and his family, instead preferring to be the perfect guest for nine months before bolting off to college. They could move on with their lives and pretend I was never there, as far as I was concerned. It was too late to start over, but I wasn't given a choice in the matter.

"It takes some getting used to," Will finally tried, holding the front door open for me with his foot, "but it's not much different from Roseville." The house was clean, thankfully. Over the past couple months I had to deal with an incredibly messy home thanks to my dad; it was refreshing to see a cleanly home. It appeared I wouldn't have to clean the house myself as I expected. The only spot of mess I could see were the toys piled in the living room floor; clearly where Laurie had been playing earlier. "Mommy's at the store. She's coming back soon," Laurie spoke up to her dad when she re-entered the room, appearing triumphant in completing the task I gave her.

"Thanks, Laurie. You can go play now, thanks for the help," Will returned with a bright smile, the brightest look I'd seen in quite awhile. Once the little girl hurried off, Will motioned for me to follow him. "I'll show you your room. It's decorated as a guest room for now, but we can redecorate however you want." The room he showed me was upstairs in a hallway with just a bathroom and what looked like an office. It was spacious and painted grey. The bedspread was simple black and white, with a black dresser, nightstand, and desk in the room. It was simple, but it was better than expected. "It's not great, but it works."

"Thank you so much," I breathed, turning and wrapping my arms around him. He was several inches taller than me, making me stand on my toes to properly hug him.

"Stop thanking me, seriously. You're my baby sister, I wanted to take you in," Will told me before pulling from the hug. "Whenever you're done moving in, I can show you the town." With that, the brown-haired man stepped away from the room, leaving me alone with the boxes.

It didn't take long to move my clothes to the closet. There was actually more space than in my closet in Roseville. While I missed the ranch house back home dearly, there were benefits to this house. One of which was not the location. The rain pounding against the window was driving me crazy. If this lasted all year then I was in trouble. It was difficult to get anything done with the constant rattling of the window in its sill. Rain wasn't too common in Alabama, at least, not like it was in Washington. Small storms could happen but clouds never hung over the sky for days on end. Forks was vastly different, and it would take some getting used to.

When I was finally through unpacking, the room still felt bare. It felt like a guest room still, considering I hadn't been able to bring most of my belongings from Roseville. I could bring what I could fit in my car, which consisted of my clothes, school supplies, and various items such as important books. One thing that was brought to Forks with me was my memory board. It was a corkboard with memories of highschool pinned to it, along with a map of the United States with pins in each state I'd visited. I fished through the desk to find where I'd put the extra pins before sticking a blue one in the state of Washington. This would be more than a visit, though.

Once done, I laid down on the carpeted floor. My stomach rested bare against the carpet as my shirt rode up slightly, and my legs bent at the knees so my calves and feet were in the air, ankles crossed. I finally was able to fish out my phone to call my closest friend in Roseville to let her know I made it there safe. The phone only rang twice before Emily answered. "Shut up! I thought you weren't supposed to call for another few days!" she instantly squealed as a greeting.

A laugh slipped from me; I couldn't help it. This was my closest friend. We were neighbors and our mothers were best friends before we were. It was Emily Bennett's family that got me through the funeral, that got me through every day after. Her and I had never been separated for more than a day before, so me moving across the country seemed impossible. "We made it faster than expected, less stops than what I thought," I explained, "And I missed my friend."

"Yeah you better miss me! You left me all alone with Josh of all people, how could you be so cruel?" Emily returned, laughing the whole time. Josh was our other friend. Everyone but them knew that they were destined to date and get married. Her jealousy had been through the roof when Josh asked me to our junior prom instead of her, but she'd never admit it was jealousy. "How do you like Sporks?"

" _Forks_ is fine, actually," I answered. "I didn't know a town could be smaller than Roseville, but Forks did it. Will's family is nice and my room is bigger than back home. One good thing, looks like I'll still be valedictorian."

"Are you kidding? That's great, dude. At least you won't have to compete with Lizzie Crandell anymore, right? I can't believe I can't make fun of her attitude with you anymore! How am I gonna survive, Val?" I could hear a thump that indicated Emily had fallen onto her floor in her exasperation.

"This isn't the nineteenth century, ya know. You can call me and gossip all you want."

"Yeah, but it won't be the same! I have to pass notes in trig or spend all of lunch talking about the latest news! And who am I gonna be on homecoming court with? You were supposed to be the queen to my court!" Emily exclaimed, the conversation now becoming a bit more serious. She was right in all points - it wouldn't be the same without me there. I'd been on homecoming court every year before, and now I likely wouldn't be. It had been assumed that either Emily or I would be the homecoming queen this year, and now I wouldn't get that chance. I wouldn't get to be on prom court either, or graduate beside my lifelong best friend. My parents won't get to see my graduation, or my last soccer match ever, or see my acceptance letter to whichever college I end up attending. I'll carry on my life but without the people that matter most to me.

"We'll have to make it work, Em. Besides, now you can be best buddies with Lizzie Crandell," I giggled in attempts at lightening the call.

"Kill me if that ever happens, Val!" she screamed, and I laughed once more. We could make this work, I knew we could. We were best friends for a reason, and me moving across the country couldn't change that.

"Look, I gotta go. I think everyone's waiting on me for dinner. But I'll talk to you later," I finally answered, "Say hi to everyone for me." When I ended the call, I could hear the conversation downstairs. Will and his wife, Rebecca, were talking about me.

"She seems okay for what's happened," Will was saying. It was a good thing I'd left my door open so I could hear. I crept out into the upstairs hallway, trying to stay quiet so I could hear down the stairs. "I was just expecting her to be a mess, honestly. I'm glad she's not, but I'm worried."

"Worried about what? Obviously she's doing okay because she had a good support system back home for her. We just have to keep that up, and I'm sure she'll be okay," his wife was saying. I hadn't truly met her, having only spoken to her a couple times during the funeral and a month later at the trial. She was truly kind and was honestly good for Will, from what I'd seen of her. "She's a strong girl. A lot like your mother, from what you've told me."

That was the line. I never thought mentions of her would make me cry, but here I was crouching in a hallway with tears building in my gray-green eyes. If there was one thing Rebecca could get wrong about me, it was that I was anything like my mom. She had been the most generous, warm-hearted person I'd ever known. My mom wasn't afraid to criticize but always had a smile on her face as she did so. She was strong and never let anyone tell her that her opinions and beliefs were wrong. She was a spitfire through and through; and, though I'd spent my life trying to be like her, I would never meet those standards. My mother was one of a kind and could never be replicated by her daughter.

"Sorry it took so long," I let my presence be known, walking down the stairs. "A friend from Roseville called me."

"Oh it's no problem. We were wondering if you wanted a tour of Forks? Maybe we could drive around a bit and then get a bite to eat at this amazing diner just down the road?" Rebecca offered, a trying smile on her face.

All I wanted to do was grab a snack and go to bed after such a tiring few days. Still, this family was trying to make me feel at home. The least I could do was give them this. "Sure, sounds like fun," I answered, a small smile pulling at my lips.

"I wanna sit next to Aunt Valerie at dinner!" Laurie exclaimed, bouncing along until she ended up next to me.

"Sure thing, Laurie."

Turns out, there's not much to show me in Forks. The entire tour took less than twenty minutes. It was all a lot of the same buildings. They were worn-down by the weather and time. It was a lot of family-owned businesses, reminding me of Roseville, only smaller and with more gray in the sky. We even went by Forks High School, a small-scale school but looked nice enough. Honestly, the building itself looked nicer than Roseville High.

Soon enough we were sitting in a diner, with various people coming up and talking to Will and Rebecca. It seemed they were the "it" young couple, the couple everyone was rooting for here in town. Laurie was a sweetheart to all who came up to the table, proving that this was the perfect little family I was walking into. Hardly anyone knew what to say to me. It was only awkward glances to me and hands raised in greetings. People kept asking if they'd adopted me, to which Will gave the go around. Technically he was my legal guardian for the next several months, but it still felt strange to say considering he was my older brother. Instead, he took to saying just that; I was his younger sister who would be finishing out senior year in Forks.

"I wanted a change of scenery," I would explain, as if that would justify a move from Alabama to Washington. In truth, I didn't want anyone to know of what had happened to my parents. I didn't want to have to put it into words and I certainly didn't want the events to define me for the next year or so. People should be kind to me because they want to be, not just because I was practically orphaned. At least I looked like a part of this family and not like a total black sheep. My light brunette hair matched Will's and my gray-green eyes were similar to the family's. Will and I were clearly related, and I could see some similarities with his daughter. Rebecca looked nothing like me, but she was absolutely gorgeous, just like Will and his daughter. Her blond hair was pulled up into a well-kept bun and her makeup was absolutely beautiful. She was likely around average height, a few inches shorter than my 5'9" frame, and was in great shape. The family looked as perfect as they were and I didn't ruin the appearance, thankfully.

At least the food at the diner was good. Laurie was right, the dinosaur chicken tenders were fantastic. We stayed up talking some more, all gathered in the family room. Apparently it was custom for the family to discuss their days at night after dinner, but since today was strange, we just talked. It was mostly about me; what I would do in Forks, what college I wanted to go to, what extracurriculars I was involved in at Roseville. Would I try out for the soccer team here? I told them yes, but I wasn't sure. It wouldn't be the team that I grew up playing with, so I didn't know if I actually would, but maybe. Would I join the quiz bowl team and the debate team? Probably not, but I told them maybe so it would make them feel better. I didn't want to be obvious in my plans. I didn't want them to know I wasn't going to make an impression on this town. Rebecca and Will were making me question that plan, though, if for a bit. They were just so positive and well-spoken when it came to this town that didn't even make it onto a map of Washington. Perhaps it gave me some hope for this town.

"Just so you know, I probably won't be here when you wake up," Will explained. He works as a trauma nurse at the hospital in Forks, so worked some weird, long hours. "I'm sorry. I'll see if I can get things switched around, at least until you get settled here."

"It's okay, I'm used to it," I answered honestly. My dad was a firefighter, so would work a twenty-four hour shift before being off work for a couple days. My mom was a defense attorney, so spent countless hours staying up trying to form the best cases for those she believed to be truly innocent. It wasn't unusual for me to have the house to myself.

"I know, but I want things to be different for you," Will spoke aloud as I stood to head up to my new room. He seemed genuine in that statement, causing my chest to ache with further guilt. He was really trying.

"It's okay. I'll have Laurie here, right?" I spoke, nudging the half-asleep girl on the couch. She grinned at me, confirming my statement. With Rebecca working as a teacher, they normally needed a babysitter for the afternoon until Rebecca could leave work. I'd told them I didn't mind watching their girl when I got home from school, cutting down time they needed for a babysitter.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Rebecca spoke aloud, "Have a good night."

"Thanks, you too," I returned before heading up to the room. She worked as a junior english teacher, so while I wouldn't have her class, she would still be in the building should I need her.

I didn't know how exhausted I was until my head hit the pillow. It felt like the stress of the past several days decided to weigh on me all at once. So, while I was extremely tired, I couldn't fall asleep right away. My mind just kept traveling to all of the differences. I was living in Forks, Washington where it already felt like winter. While I was used to total independence, it looked like I wouldn't be getting it with this new, lovely, perfect family who insisted on giving me a good life. I was living with my brother who I knew hardly anything about beyond what my parents had told me. I was beginning to attend a new school tomorrow. I would have to meet all new people this year only to graduate. Hopefully I would be accepted to Harvard so I could leave this town behind once I graduated. Hopefully I wouldn't get too attached.

Still, regardless of the plans I had in my mind, Rebecca and Will were already changing it. They were giving me hope for my future, hope that the rest of my childhood wouldn't be as bad as I thought. They were convinced that the students at Forks were extremely welcoming and wouldn't mind there being a lost new kid around. They were a family that didn't mind welcoming me into their home and were already talking about how proud they were that I was graduating this year. I would still need Emily to get me through this year, but perhaps I could have a decent life here for the next nine months.

Perhaps after all this complaining, I'd gotten lucky. I had a good home and Forks was bearable, I just had to hope that Forks High was as good as Rebecca said. I had to hope that the people would be decent and there would be minimal drama.


	3. Shadows of the Past

**Okay, I'm back. It took a little longer than I thought, but it should be better now. I've been incredibly busy finishing up college applications(oh my goodness!). I'm done with those now though, so updates should come sooner. I hope this alright, and I'd love to know what you think of it! Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO  
** _Shadows of the Past_

* * *

 _"I don't wanna go back," I whimpered, suddenly sounding more naive and child-like. Glancing down, I could see my tiny hands laid in my lap, rumpling the skirt of my polka dot dress. My throat felt tight and my cheeks were wet, signalling I had recently been crying. "I hate school."_

 _"No, Beansprout," a voice spoke. I didn't think I would hear it again. The deep rumble would have given me chills had I been in control of the situation. "You don't hate anything. Hate is reserved for only the worst things. We hate villains, we don't hate school."_

 _"Well I hate school." That determination hadn't faded even now. I could feel my heart beginning to beat faster as the tears reformed and spilled over my cheeks. Back then that was the only coping mechanism I had. It was a perfect way to release all of the pent up emotions I'd been holding back all day. My little hands clenched into fists and I brought them to angrily wipe away the tear tracks on my face. I never wanted to cry in front of Daddy; I was his strong little girl, he always told me. I could cry anytime except around him._

 _"Why don't you like it?" he probed then, sitting on the ground in front of me. His expression was mixed into one of curiosity and mild worry for me._

 _"I don't know anyone but Em," I finally spoke up, voice laced with the tears I was trying to hold back. It took longer to get through the sentence as I kept hiccuping between the words, proving how hard I'd been crying. "And I got a question right and everyone made fun of me."_

 _I didn't know why at the time, but Daddy burst into laughter then. It was a full gut-wrenching laugh that led to him wiping away his own tears, but these of amusement. "Valerie Rose Dryden, never for one moment be ashamed of your intelligence. You are the brightest person I know, and never doubt that. They just don't understand yet how important that can be," he told me, taking a sudden serious tone. He took my fists then, flattening them out with his hands to relax me. "And you don't know anyone. Have you tried to talk to someone?"_

 _"No, but they don't like me."_

 _"How do you know that if you've never tried talking to them? Sometimes you have to take that risk, Val, and sometimes that risk just pays off."_

The shrill of the alarm jolted me from the dream, bringing me back to reality with a start. There was no other feeling than the racing of a heart and drowsiness that came with waking up early in the morning. I yawned, gave a light stretch, then finally pulled myself from the bed. It took moments to make the bed and pick out my outfit for the day, trying to get back into the routine I'd made for myself in Roseville. The one difference would be my mother wouldn't be around to sing in the kitchen with me while we made our lunches for the day.

It didn't take me too long to get ready for the day, and soon enough I was dancing my way around the kitchen to find breakfast. Soon enough I was sitting on the kitchen counter with a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream balancing in my lap while I nursed a cup of coffee. A laugh interrupted my solitude, causing me to glance up from my breakfast. "You are so like Will," Rebecca was laughing as she poured herself a cup of coffee, "He sits up there every day and every day I tell him to get down."

"Oh, sorry," I corrected easily, slipping down off the counter to instead lean against it.

"No, I don't mind. I didn't mean it that way," she continued, sitting on one of the island stools. "I just didn't know what to expect from a sister who's so many years younger."

The heat on my cheeks eased, signaling the embarrassment had eased. I didn't want to make a poor impression in my first day living there. Truthfully, I shared Rebecca's thoughts. I hardly knew anything about Will beyond what our parents had told me, which wasn't much. In truth, I had started to believe that perhaps he didn't exist at all. That is, before he agreed to take me in after all that happened. I know he was a high school football star and never really focused too hard on his academics. I know that he went to college at a university about an hour and a half away from Roseville, and I know that, for some reason, he'd decided to move to tiny Forks in Washington of all places.

"I should get going," I broke the self-imposed silence, washing out the bowl and mug. Would this get any easier? It was strange having to live with total strangers all of a sudden. The house was usually full of laughter and boisterous conversations, not gentle conversations with an underlying tension laced within each statement.

"Have a good day at school!" Rebecca called to me, "I'll be there, if you need me!" She was so bright and happy in the morning, it was refreshing. It reminded me of Mom.

Forks High School, home of the Spartans. Couldn't they have picked any other mascot? The Spartan was completely overdone, being the mascot of every fictional high school I've seen. It was almost comical that a school of about three hundred and fifty students would have such a 'menacing' mascot. Roseville High was home of the Beavers, completely unintimidating and yet definitely fitting.

The Spartans seemed intimidated by me. As soon as I was stepping out of my car, I was being stared at. It felt as though I was from Mars rather than Alabama. The walk down the hallway made me more conscious of my appearance than ever before. Was my hair twist too much? Did I look okay in my long sleeved white shirt and black skirt? Relief flooded through me when I finally reached my locker; I could focus on anything but the heads turned toward me.

It took longer than I thought for someone to talk to me. It ended up being a bouncy blond girl who clearly was involved in too many activities at the school. Despite the hour of the morning, she was wide awake and grinning as she hopped over to me. The girl was absolutely beautiful, in the way that it was clear she put a lot of effort into her appearance. "Hi! You must be our new valedictorian," the girl greeted, sticking her hand out for me to shake. "I'm Hannah, senior class president and former valedictorian." Valedictorian until I showed up. My school in Roseville had offered several AP classes that Forks didn't, meaning I had too many credits to be caught up with.

"Oh, sorry about that," I apologized for the drop in rank, figuring this girl had been top of her class for three years. "I'm Valerie."

"It's no worries! Really. Honestly I didn't want to be valedictorian, I didn't want to give the speech," she laughed. I wouldn't point out that the class president would likely have to give a speech too, just not the opening student speech. "It's nice to meet you. Has anyone showed you your classes yet?"

"No. I have my schedule, but I figured I could find them on my o-"

"Nonsense! Looks like we have first period together. Look, Mr. Rosen isn't the best, but he doesn't notice when you talk in class, usually," Hannah began explaining to me as we walked down to the English wing. "So, what did you do in your old school? Any clubs?"

There it was. Honestly, I was involved in too much. There was no way I was going to be joining everything that I was in at Roseville. I didn't even want to make friends here, if only because I was going to leave as soon as possible. After graduating, I would be gone and I wouldn't look back. I'd go back to the east coast where I belonged. "Oh, I played soccer. Student government, mock trial, debate team, quiz bowl. All of that fun stuff," I finally answered.

"Ooh! I don't play sports, but I'm editor of the yearbook so I go to a lot of those matches. I'll be sure to cheer you on!" There wasn't mention of a tryout, meaning their soccer team was probably small and not very good. "I'm president of student government and I'm on the quiz team. You should definitely join, we'd be glad to have you!" Of course. There would be no way out of that one, it seemed. While I didn't exactly want to make a friend, it was impossible to shrug off Hannah. After awhile, I grew used to her. She was certainly an optimistic person and it soon became enjoyable to be in her presence. She was in all of my classes up until fourth bell; chemistry.

I had already taken AP chemistry, but for whatever reason the school had made me retake the class here. I didn't mind; this would be an easier class for me in my challenging schedule. When I'd stepped into the room, the teacher instantly noticed me. "Ah! There's our new student!" he exclaimed, standing from his desk and meeting me halfway in the room. The class was already back in the lab working, laughing and talking excitedly in their groups of four. "Dryden, related to Rebecca the English teacher?" he asked as he checked the name on my sign sheet.

"Yep, she's my sister-in-law. I'm staying with them for my senior year," I explained with a small smile. "Change of pace, you know?" Best to answer the 'why' question before he asked.

"Well, welcome to Forks. We already have lab groups of four set up, but you can join that one group of two in the back there. They shouldn't mind. Here's your textbook, and here's your lab sheets. I'm sure you'll get caught up quickly, I was told you've taken this class before," the teacher, Mr. Smith, explained. I glanced back to where he was pointing and nearly cringed as I saw the group I was to be working with. They were absolutely beautiful, it didn't seem possible. They were two guys, one larger and definitely more built. His dark hair stood in stark contrast to his pale, practically translucent, skin. He was grinning and messing around with the other one; smaller, but definitely strong, too. His hair was more golden and longer, clear curls could be seen from even the front of the room. His skin was just as pale. I realized then my tan skin would stand out too much here, especially in a group with these two.

I'd hardly made it a few steps before the group seemed to notice me. I'd pulled up my hair into a ponytail and put my goggles on when the one with golden hair snapped his head around to look at me. His entire body tensed and he gripped the edge of the lab table as if it was keeping him from falling over. He said something to the larger one, something I couldn't hear nor read from his lips before practically running out of the room. Did I have food on my face?

I wanted to run out of the room, too. This wasn't the reaction I was expecting, and I certainly didn't want to face the other guy when he could run out too. Instead, I took a breath and finished walking to the lab table. "You're our new lab partner?" the dark-haired one asked as though his other partner hadn't just fled the room at the sight of me.

Fury filled me. It made my own muscles tense as I sat my lab sheet down on the table, glancing over the instructions. I gave a simple, short, "Guess so," before continuing on with my reading. He was acting like the other guy hadn't just made such a horrid reaction to my presence.

"I'm Emmett Cullen. Sorry about my brother, Jasper, he's not feeling too well today," the boy explained. I supposed it made sense, except they'd been horsing around up until I walked into the room. Now that I was near him, I had a better view to observe. He looked as though I could hit him as hard as possible and he wouldn't feel a thing. He towered over my five nine frame and was probably the most intimidating person I'd ever met appearance-wise. His eyes were golden; he had to be wearing contacts. Despite his intimidating build, I could tell he was practically harmless. His posture showed he was calm, and his goggles were resting on the top of his head rather than over his eyes. The boy, Emmett, had been goofing around with his brother, Jasper, before she'd walked in. Even now a loose smile hung on his lips. "You have a name, too, right?"

I hardly glanced up from my lab sheet, finally finishing the instructions and beginning to work on the lab; the two boys had hardly gotten anything done. "You should put your goggles on. Acetic acid won't blind you, but it'll sting worse'n anything if you get it in your eyes," I responded cooly, not wanting to deal with him. It was obvious I wasn't wanted in this group.

"I will if you tell me your name," he countered. The easy smirk on his face was making me mad.

"Why do you wanna know so bad?" I returned, crossing my arms over my chest and resting my weight on one leg.

"Why don't you want me to know so badly?"

He'd won there. A huff of breath from me signalled my defeat, and soon I was looking at him and saying, "My name's Valerie. Happy?"

"I am. It's nice to meet you." Emmett was looking at me with an amused smirk, as if he knew that he'd won. It was so irritating and yet I couldn't stop a smile from pulling my lips upward. "See? I'm not that bad." The jury wasn't out yet though; if his brother could be so douchey then he could as well. Still, I allowed myself to nod and return to the lab.

It wasn't a difficult one but required some level of concentration. Despite my original thought, Emmett was actually a good lab partner. We worked well together, though we didn't speak much beyond the first conversation. Eventually we finished first out of every group, leaving us to sit at our lab table for the rest of the bell.

"Is your brother coming back?" I found myself asking, glancing to the closed door of the classroom. It was nearing the end of the bell and he still hadn't returned; it wasn't exactly normal, unless he was avoiding the new girl.

"I don't think so. He was coming down with something," Emmett answered quickly, just as the bell sounded to end this class period. He hurried to leave the classroom, leaving me sitting at the table stunned.

"Right," I whispered, gathering my belongings and making my way down to my locker. It didn't make sense why someone could be avoiding me already.

The cafeteria was the bane of my existence. Even in Roseville I was uncomfortable in the dining hall. It was worse now, though, as I stood there with no idea where to sit. My heart rate was already increasing as I tried to find an empty table, but there wasn't one available. Everywhere I looked there was a table nearly full of people, everyone talking and laughing and eating.

"Valerie!" A voice exclaimed happily. When I turned, I could see Hannah bounding over to me from a full table of people. "Come sit with me. My friends are great, I just know you'll love 'em." I followed the blonde over to the table, sitting down in the one empty chair left between Hannah and a girl with dark brown, nearly black, hair pulled into a bun. "Okay, this is Jordan, and Maria, and Sawyer, and Nick, and Damien, and Sierra. Guys, this is Valerie, the new girl." That was a lot of people. There was no way I would remember all of their names, but I would try.

"Where are you from?" the girl to my right asked. I think she was Jordan. "I love your tan!"

"Oh, thanks. From this really tiny town in Alabama."

"Alabama? That's so far away," the girl across from me called out. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail and up until then she'd been talking with the guy who I think was called Damien. "Why the move here?"

There it was. I shrugged, taking a bite of my salad before responding, "Wanted a change of scenery before college, so I moved in with my brother's family. You know the Drydens?"

"Oh like Mrs. Dryden! I love her, she's such a cool teacher," one of the other girls told me with a smile. These girls all seemed nice and welcoming, but it was a lot to take in at once. Besides, I had specifically told myself I wouldn't make friends, and yet I'd already found a group of people to sit with at lunch.

"Ooh, Jordan, Val's trying out for the soccer team," Hannah gushed just as lunch was ending, all of us standing and walking to our classes. Hannah, Jordan, and I all had calculus class next so we ended up walking together.

"Really? That's great. What position do you play?" Jordan asked, shifting her books to her other arm as we walked.

"Goalkeeper. My team went to state competition last year which was really cool." I made first team on state, too, for my goalkeeping work.

"Nice! That's perfect, we don't have anyone who's really good at it. We have someone who fills in, but they prefer playing mid. That's awesome, you'll be on the team for sure. Practice actually starts next week, we don't have enough people for tryouts so you can just show up. You missed conditioning, but I'm sure Coach Johnson wouldn't mind," Jordan explained excitedly, standing taller at the mention of soccer.

I couldn't help but get excited too. A smile formed on my lips at the idea of being on a team again. It was awful to leave the Roseville team as we'd been together for years. Most of us were excited about spending our senior year competing to get to state comps again. "That's great. It'll be good to play again." It sounded like the team wasn't as good as the Roseville team, but it would be a team.

The calculus room was boring. There was nothing decorating the tan walls and the tables were arranged so there were two people at each table. Hannah and Jordan moved to sit near the front of the room, beside each other. The teacher didn't seem to notice me standing at his desk for awhile, too busy looking over what looked like tests. "Oh, you must be the new student," he finally noticed, lifting his head from the grading to look at me. "I'm Mr. Gleeson. Here's your textbook, and you can take the seat all the way in the back. Welcome to Forks High."

"Thanks," I returned before making my way back to the seat. I had hardly gotten myself settled when someone slammed their books onto the table beside mine and sat down. It was that guy from chemistry; I think Emmett said his name was Jasper. He was sitting with his forearms on the table and looked as tensed as possible. Closer up it was easier to tell that Jasper was definitely wellbuilt and strong; he'd looked smaller compared to Emmett but could definitely beat me up if he so chose. The difference between Emmett and his brother was that Emmett clearly was a kind-hearted spirit, while the look on Jasper's face made it look like he definitely wanted to beat me up.

It was like that through the entire class. Soon enough I couldn't focus on taking notes on derivatives, only on the frustration bubbling up in me. Finally a dropped my pencil on my notebook and turned to face him. "What's your problem?" I snapped in a whisper. Luckily we were in the back of the room so Mr. Gleeson couldn't notice easily.

"I don't know what you mean," he returned in a quiet and strained voice. He didn't even look at me.

"Oh cut the shit," I continued, his response only making me angrier. "Clearly I did something to piss you off and I don't know what."

"You didn't do anything," he answered in the same tone of voice, "I'm not angry with you."

"Well it sure as hell doesn't se-"

"Miss Dryden, is there something wrong?" an annoyed voice sounded from the front of the room. I looked up to see Mr. Gleeson and the rest of the class staring at Jasper and I.

"No, I'm just super passionate about derivatives," I responded, hardly noticing when the class rippled with laughter. The teacher was about to yell when the bell rang. I was too annoyed to be nervous about the repercussions for my mouth. Instead, I grabbed my books and bolted out of the room before I continued yelling at Jasper. I was one of the first ones out of the school. I pulled out of the parking lot hurriedly, wiping the angry tears from my face. It was so aggravating that I cry when I'm angry, but there wasn't anything to do about it. It didn't make sense; Jasper tried to avoid me and acted furious around me and yet tried to tell me it wasn't about me. It sure as hell seemed like it was about me.

I was just thankful to get home. By the time I'd finished my homework for the day, Will was home and Rebecca had made dinner. Soon enough all four of us were sitting at the dinner table. It was really four bar stools pulled up to the large island in the middle of their kitchen.

"How was your first day of school here?" Will asked me, hardly glancing up from his pasta. He was still wearing his burgundy scrubs from work, having gotten home just a few minutes before.

"It was fine," I answered. "Joined the soccer team." The answer was short and silence followed. Rebecca was giving me a look that I couldn't quite comprehend. What was she thinking about me?

"Did you meet anyone?" That was Will again.

"Yeah, a few girls. Actually, do you know the Cullens?" I finally asked, finishing up the food on my plate.

"I work with Dr. Cullen in the ER. They're good people. Him and his wife adopted several kids awhile ago. Why, did you meet one of his daughters?" Will asked. It was clear that he was hoping the answer would be a 'yes'. How could my brother have such a good opinion of them when one of them was so awful?

"Oh, no. Emmett and Jasper are my new lab partners. Emmett's pretty nice," I returned, collecting my plate and placing it in the dishwasher. "I think I'm gonna head to bed. Thanks for dinner, Rebecca, it was really great."

"Goodnight, Aunt Val!" Laurie exclaimed, waving to me from where she was still finishing up her dinner.

"Goodnight, Laurie," I returned before heading up the stairs quickly. I was hardly in my room before my phone began ringing. It wasn't a number I recognized. Who could possibly be calling me? "Hello?" I called into the phone.

"This is an incoming call from Alabama State Penitentiary. Do you accept the charges for the call? Press one for 'yes' or two for 'no'," the automated voice explained. State penitentiary? Almost instantly my heart began racing and my palms grew clammy. Could he really be calling me? By the time I noticed I'd been standing there, the automated voice was repeating itself once more. I hurriedly pressed 'one' and waited for the familiar voice to talk to me for the first time in weeks.

"Valerie?" the gruff voice called out. He sounded awful; more tired and worn down than I'd ever heard before, but still him. "I'm so glad you accepted the call." I couldn't bring myself to speak. A knot was formed in my throat and it was suddenly hard to catch my breath. Why did I think this would be a good idea? "Beansprout, you there?"

"Why are you calling me, Dad?"


	4. The Burden of Routine

**Hello all! Long time no see, I know. I wish I had a good reason except my writing hit a major wall. Even now I'm not too pleased with this chapter, but it's a bit more of a transition chapter. It's to get more comfortable with the main protagonist here before stuff hits the fan. Anyway, it's a bit shorter but regardless I hope you like it! Thank you so much for the kind reviews. I really do enjoy reading all of them and it does motivate me to continue writing this and become more frequent with stuff. I finished this chapter largely because people kept telling me that this rewrite was good - it made the hardwork worth it. So thank you all so much, and I do truly hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**  
 _The Burden of Routine  
_

* * *

The phone sat in my lap and I sat on the ground, back against the end of the bed. My butt had long since gone numb but all I could do was sit and stare at the piece of metal in my hands. For weeks I had longed to hear his voice saying my name, and yet when my wish was finally granted, I hung up on him. I shut out my own father, even after all that had happened. How could I ever do something like that? I found myself wanting to take it back; to go back in time and force myself to speak to him. It was what I wanted, right?

I hardly noticed when the bedroom door creaked open. Soon another weight was in my lap; Laurie. Her gray eyes were watching me closely, flitting about as she searched my expression for something, anything. "Are you okay?" she voiced to me, tilting her head to the side in a way her blond curls shielded her expression. No, I was far from okay, but I couldn't tell a little girl that.

"I'm great, Laurie. Isn't it a little late for you to be awake?" A quick glance at the phone screen let me know it was nearing ten o'clock, much later than what my bedtime ever was as a kid. A sheepish smile from Laurie let me know everything; she was definitely supposed to be in bed by now. The hallway was darkened, meaning Will and Rebecca had long since gone to bed as well, I would assume. "C'mon, let's get you to bed."

"Will you read me a story?" Laurie probed, getting off my lap but grabbing a hold of my jeans as if to keep me in place long enough to pull a 'yes' from me.

"Didn't your dad already read you a story?" I asked. With a nod of her head, I laughed. Of course. As a kid, I could never get to sleep without a story from my mother. The difference was, we never needed storybooks. Mom would always sit by my bed and tell stories of my ancestors, of their bravery and how they lived their lives in the best possible way. "Okay, I'll tell you one."

A quick walk down the hall led me to Laurie's room. I was expecting pink, but instead the room was decorated in red. I could see baseball posters stuck up around the room; how interesting. Laurie climbed into the bed, allowing me to pull the blankets up around her middle. "I like that one," she told me, pointing to a book that was sitting on the little black nightstand. Clearly Will had already read the book. The two bunnies on the front weren't appealing to me, however. If I was going to tell a story, it was going to be done right.

"How about a new one? One that doesn't need a book," I suggested, sitting down beside the lower child's bed and resting my arms on the side of the mattress. The confused yet interested look from Laurie was exactly the response I wanted. "See, my momma always told me stories about our family. People who lived a long time ago who were heroes. You're part of my family now, too. Do you wanna hear about them?"

An excited grin took over the little girl's face. "Yeah! Daddy never tells me these ones," she giggled, shaking her head against the pillow, teasing her hair in the process.

"Okay, how about my favorite one? Your dad and I grew up in Alabama, right? But your grandma's family actually lived in the North, all the way up in Massachusetts. When we were your age, she would tell us stories about our ancestors. Those people who are our great-great grandparents who lived a long time before we did. I loved those stories, but my favorite was about one of our ancestors in Massachusetts during the 1860s," I began, lifting my head up from where it had rested on my arms. "Have you talked about the civil war in first grade yet?" I asked curiously. When all I received was a blank look, I knew there was some backstory required. "Well, back in the 1860s, the North half of our country and the South half couldn't get along. They fought on a lot of problems and couldn't find a right answer to any of them. It ended with the North and South going to war with each other.

"In comes our ancestor. Gideon Mitchell was barely old enough to join the military when the war began. He enlisted as soon as possible. And Gideon? Your relative, well he's a hero." I could tell I had Laurie's attention now. She watched me wide-eyed, gripping onto the blankets covering her with rapt focus. Telling the story brought a wave of calm over my body. This was always a tradition my mother and I had. I'd told her to stop when I was a teenager, I was too old for bedtime stories, but now I wished we would have kept going. I knew the story by heart now. Gideon worked his way through the ranks slowly until he acted as a hero during a battle in Alabama. He'd gotten Union sympathizers away from the battle site and on a safe path to the North. From then his military career flourished until he eventually settled in the very town he chose to save in Alabama with his family; Roseville. By the time I'd finished the story, Laura's eyes were closed and tears were clinging to my cheeks. I missed my mother. If there was one thing in that instant that I could have, it would be one more story from her. She was always so passionate about family history and was insistent that Will and I know where we came from. I remember she told me Will always shrugged the stories off, claiming they were likely exaggerated or outright made up. I'd always taken to the tales, though. An obsession with Gideon Mitchell formed in me until eventually that was the only story she would tell me. I could remember her eyes would light up as she spoke about him, proud that her relative had made a difference in the world. I don't think she realized how much she'd made a difference, either. Someday, I would tell stories about her just like she told stories about dear Gideon.

In the next two weeks, Dad called seven times. Each time I would sit with my phone in hand and ponder answering it or not. Each time I sat and waited until the phone stopped ringing; unable to speak to him after everything but being too nervous to outright decline the call.

I'd also gotten settled into the new school routine. Rebecca and I shared mornings together before we headed off to school, then when I got home I would babysit Laurie every afternoon. Hannah and her friends were growing on me. At first, I'd tried to be distant but it was impossible to around Hannah. She was such a bright person who truly was kind to everyone she met. I was lucky to have met her my first day. I made the soccer team, too. I was their first real goalkeeper in the four years those seniors had been at the school. The team wasn't fantastic, but it was a team.

I walked into the chemistry room, setting my books down and sitting. We weren't in the lab today, but our desks were the lab tables, meaning I was to be sitting with Emmett and Jasper all year. A sigh slipped from my lips as I saw the empty stool on the other side of Emmett; Jasper wasn't at school again. He hadn't been at school in nearly two weeks. The year had barely begun; how was he missing so much school already? "Where's your brother?" I found myself asking again.

Just like so many other times, Emmett only gave me a small, knowing smile before returning, "He's been sick."

Even though Mr. Smith was explaining a new concept, I let out a small groan to express my frustration. It was clear that he was lying to me, and yet there was no better explanation. I knew no reason why he would disappear except that he hadn't done so until I showed up to school. Had he wanted to avoid me that much? "You're not taking notes?" Emmett whispered to me, nodding toward my blank notebook page. In truth, I hadn't meant to but Jasper had distracted me from the notes.

I shrugged and whispered back, "I've taken this class before. My credits didn't transfer ov-Is that Jasper?" Yes, that was him. The pale boy had just handed a pink attendance slip to the teacher before making his way over to their lab table. Him and Emmett seemed to be having a conversation with their facial expressions, one I wasn't able to make out. "I thought you were sick?" The anger had faded but the embarrassment had not. Each time I looked at Jasper's golden eyes I was reminded of how he seemed to be disgusted by me. My shoulders inched forward and for once I was able to focus on the notes at hand; it was easier than focusing on Jasper's tense body. I didn't want to think about why he was unable to be near me. It was too difficult to find a suitable reason for why even now Jasper stole glances at me, an unreadable expression crossing his face the moment he took notice of me. The way Emmett sat between us, acting as a pseudo-mediator should anything go wrong. Every so often he would whisper something to his brother, but was so unbelievably quiet I couldn't make out what he was saying. My heart rate was only controlled by focusing on the swirling of the letters being written in my notebook. There was absolutely no way I was allowing a boy to occupy my thoughts when there were more important matters to focus on.

Time moved slowly. What felt like a year was only another two weeks. In truth, it was hardly believable that I'd only been in Forks for a month. I thought the adjustment period would be a couple days, but a month in and it still felt like a dream. The only saving grace was the group of friends I'd met the first day of school. As much as I hated to admit it, I'd come to rely on them. I was still talking to Emily every day though, letting her know about my life. She seemed relieved that I'd found a group to talk to over here, and I was relieved to hear that my old group hadn't found a replacement for me.

"Hey, I'm pulling into the parking lot now, but I'll talk to you later, okay?" I spoke into the phone with my best friend, laughing at her groan of displeasure.

"Okay, how about tonight then? I have so much to catch you up on!" Emily exclaimed.

Right as I was about to agree, my eyes took note of the jersey I was wearing. The long sleeved red jersey reminded me that I would be occupied by my first soccer match of the year that night. "Sorry, I can't. I have a game tonight," I answered regretfully. I loved my new team, truly, but I'd give anything to spend more time talking with people from my old life. "So I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love ya, Em!"

"Love ya, Val. Good luck tonight, and don't break any bones!" Em laughed before hanging up the phone, just as I was stepping out of my car. The chilled air hit me quickly, and I found myself thankful that the goalkeeper's jersey was long-sleeved as opposed to everyone else's forest green short-sleeved jerseys which hardly offered any protection from the autumn wind.

Chemistry came quickly. I was growing comfortable with Emmett despite our poor first encounter. When I walked into the room, he was already sitting at our table. "Look at you! What's the big occasion?"

"What do you think?" I shot back, flashing him a quick smile before pulling out my notebook and gathering my supplies. "First game of the season."

"Isn't everyone else wearing green? I think you missed the memo, Dryden."

I was growing used to our casual banter by now. I rolled my eyes before quickly firing back, "Goalkeepers stand out," I said just as the bell rang. The substitute teacher let the class know that it would be a workday on our lab writeups which were due by the end of the week. "You should come to the game tonight."

"You know, I don't go to school events much," Emmett spoke up, pulling out his own notebook as if to begin working on his writeup, but never picked up his pencil.

"Fair enough. I respect it," I responded before picking up my pen and beginning to write. When I glanced up, I noticed that the boy sitting on the other side of Emmett was already halfway through his writeup; he'd clearly been working as we spoke. In two weeks, we had hardly spoken. It was hardly even civil but rather an unspoken agreement; he ignores me and I ignore him, and everyone is happy.

"Where'd you learn to play?" The question surprised me. It had come from Emmett, but I couldn't take my eyes off of his brother who had lifted his head to look at me, as if suddenly interested in our conversation. "I've heard you're amazing."

"I wouldn't go that far. But if you must know, I learned from my dad." The word alone caused pain to pound in my chest, threatening to limit my breathing. Jasper recoiled as if physically affected by what I was saying and feeling. I must have made a face.

"Did he play goalie too?" Emmett tried to continue the conversation. My hand clenched around the pen and my eyebrows tilted inward. I hadn't expected he would be so interested.

"I need to work on my lab report," I murmured, tilting my head downward and staring at the blank notebook page as if it were the source of the ache in my chest.

"Let's get this cleaned up so we can do a quick reflection time, okay?" Will told his daughter after dinner. Laurie stood up with a small groan, picking up a plate and walking it over to the counter beside the sink.

"I'll clean the dishes if you clear the table, okay?" I called out to her, now dressed in pajamas. I'd showered after coming home from the game and my damp hair was leaving a small wet spot on the shoulders of my shirt. The dinner dishes was always meant to be Laurie's chore, but I couldn't help but to want to help. When my mind was full of thoughts I didn't want to linger on, I had to stay busy.

Laurie seemed excited enough. The table was nearly completely cleared in seconds as she ran about the kitchen, as if to prove her generosity. "What do you say, Laura?" Will probed, searching for a proof of manners in his little one.

"Thanks, Auntie Val!" She cried before skipping to the living room and jumping onto the couch, clearly ready for reflection period. I took my time scrubbing at the dishes, almost trying to avoid the time. At first I'd thought telling each other about our day was cute, but it became a way for Will and Rebecca to find out my mental state, as if they were constantly terrified of me losing it. I suppose it wasn't totally off the table, but it still was aggravating to be treated so delicately.

It couldn't be avoided forever, though, and soon I found myself sitting in the living room in my own chair while the other three sat on the couch. The other three had typical stories; Rebecca spoke about how proud she was of her students, Will had a stressful day in the ED, and Laurie was amazed by nearly everything she saw. Then it was my turn. When I didn't speak for awhile, Rebecca seemed to take the hint and stood up, offering her hand to Laura. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed."

"But Aunt Val didn't talk!" Laurie protested, always interested in what I had to say. "And I want her bedtime story!"

"I'll be up in a minute, okay? I wouldn't ever forget about our bedtime stories," I told her, giving her a small, forced smile before she disappeared up the stairs with her mother in tow. Even with her gone, I couldn't find the right words. I thought the ache in my chest from chemistry class would go away but it only seemed to spread through the day. My body felt either numb or hurting, much like when my mother died initially, but I had a feeling this wasn't over her.

"What's wrong, Valerie? You can talk to me," Will spoke then, face full of concern for me. Maybe he thought I was actually losing it now. Maybe I was.

"Dad keeps calling me." There it was, right out in the open. I wanted to reach out and pull my words back to me, as if the information was somehow private and close to me. I couldn't read Will's face. I could see shock, but there was another emotion that I couldn't quite decipher.

"Have you answered?" He finally spoke, but it wasn't what I wanted.

"No," I admitted, looking down at my hands folded in my lap. "I can't bring myself to. I mean, who does that? I have a perfectly good parent, and I'm cutting him off." I glanced back up at Will before adding, softly, "I don't know how you did it."

Silence. The sheer emptyness of the air between us made me squirm in my seat a little, as if a new position could make me more comfortable. "How much did Mom and Dad tell you about me?" Will finally asked, slowly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to ask the question. My shrug was all he needed to see, apparently, because he continued, "I didn't cut them off, Valerie. I would've given anything to see Mom again before she-well, you know."

"You could've," I whispered. Shock truly filled his face then, and I was beginning to feel it too. The words weren't planned; I didn't truly know what I was saying, but the pain in me was beginning to subside, as if this conversation was making me forget about it. "I don't know why I haven't seen you in ten years, but you could've seen her."

"Valerie, you do-"

"No, I understand enough. I know Mom would nearly start crying anytime little me would ask about you. I know Dad would get this look on his face, like he couldn't decide between being angry or hurt. I know they missed you and I know they would've wanted to meet their granddaughter, especially one that acts so much like Mom." The tears were flowing freely now, but I couldn't find it in me to care. Will looked hurt, but I couldn't care about that either. "I can't imagine going ten years without seeing them. Without hearing Dad's laugh, without Mom's perfect advice for every problem I ever had. I can't imagine going ten years without Mom's special grilled cheeses just because of some stupid reason. Hell, it kills me to not be around them for a few months. I don't know how you went ten years, and I don't think I'll ever know."

"Valerie, you're taking this out of cont-" Will began, standing up in suit with me, taking a step as if to get near me.

"Goodnight," I spoke before hurrying up the stairs before he could see the tears now clinging to my cheeks. It had been quite awhile before I'd spoken of my mother, and it just made all of the feelings come rushing back. I pulled out my phone and tapped the number of the one person I truly needed in that moment. I listened to it ring, knowing that she should be at home by this time. She was ignoring me, it felt like. Voicemail. A groan slipped from my lips as the call to Emily didn't go through, having expected my closest friend to be there for me.

"Aunt Val, are you okay?" How did Laurie always seem to find me when I was at my worst? She was standing in the doorway to my bedroom, clutching a teddy bear and looking wary of the situation. I suppose it was likely a strange sight to see my standing in the middle of my bedroom crying seemingly without reason.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks, willing myself to hold the rest back behind the dam. I couldn't afford anymore outbreaks like that. It was all just so confusing and so difficult. I wanted Mom and Dad back, but I couldn't talk to my Dad, not after all that has happened. I didn't understand why Will has been gone for ten years and still accept me into his home. It felt like I was living with strangers as opposed to my only brother's family. There was a lot more to his relationship with my parents than I thought, and I couldn't come close to trying to understand it. Not only that, but I was on a losing soccer team. I was making friends when I specifically said I didn't want to, and the one person who seemed to detest me was the one I found most interesting. It was all too confusing, and I found myself wondering how life could possibly get anymore convoluted. All I knew was I had a bedtime story to tell. "Yes, baby, I'm okay. Don't ever worry about me, okay? C'mon, let's go. Do you want to hear about Gideon or Edwin tonight?"


	5. Requiem to Roseville

**Hello! I'm actually getting into a routine, how about that! In truth I got my groove back and I have everything planned out as I want to - all the way up to the end of this "book". In truth I think I'll have three or four stories, much like the series. Anyway, I really do love this character and I hope you do too! From here on out things will start to settle into a more natural rhythm, she just had to get acquainted with her new life, yeah? I promise from here on out we're entering the main plot. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think, it truly brightens my day!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**  
 _Requiem to Roseville_

* * *

 _I'm sitting in a field empty save the tree my back was pressed against. The tree towered above me, reaching out for the sky like it wanted to join the horizon. It had clearly stood in its place for decades, outliving even the small town it marked the boundary of. The heat warmed my skin despite the shade covering me, causing beads of sweat to form on my arms. For the first time in awhile, I felt completely at peace._

 _"Hi, Valerie!" a small voice called, one that was familiar but clearly from the past. It sounded lighter and more innocent, as if the owner hadn't gained the pessimism of grown teenagers. When I looked to my left, I could see a smaller version of Emily running to me, her orange hair bouncing against her shoulders and a wide smile gracing her expression. I could see even from there the metal on her teeth glinting in the sun. She dropped to the ground as soon as she got to the tree, crossing her legs pretzel-style and beaming at me. "You ready to start high school?"_

 _There was the question. Despite this being a memory, the dread washed over me like it was happening in real time. Never once was I excited about the prospect of growing up and entering high school. The tight feeling in my chest reminded me of the one I felt years before after my first day of school. It was in my nature to fear new situations, to fear new people. "No way. I want to stay at Wilder Middle," I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest and sticking my lower lip out slightly. Even as a rising freshman I still had childish tendencies. Perhaps they would never fully fade away, even if I wanted them to. "I don't wanna lose any of my friends. I don't wanna grow up. We have to decide what we want to do with our lives!"_

 _Emily only laughed. She'd always been the flippant one, never caring about the future and preferring to live in the present. At times I envied her ability to ignore the looming dangers of an unknown future. Her hand reached out and pulled for mine, hers pale in comparison to my tanned one. "You're silly, Val. Of course you won't lose your friends! You have me, right?" I shrugged then, but knew in my heart what she was saying was true. "We'll always be friends. No one can separate us!"_

 _"You promise?" I questioned, gray-green eyes watching hers closely, searching for any sign of ill-intent. School never stopped worrying me, even when I knew all would end up okay._

 _"I promise. Friends for life! We'll graduate together and both go to Harvard, I promise."_

* * *

The memory dreams were starting to become irksome. The purpose of these dreams seemed to elude me; there was no need to remind me of what I had left behind. I did have to wonder if that promise still stood though, if we both could really get accepted to our dream school and attend together. It was always my dream to go to Harvard Law and become a lawyer, just like my mother, but I was even more passionate about it now. My mother always acted for the betterment of society and didn't get the chance to anymore; I was sure I would be able to carry on her legacy. In just a few months. It was October; I just had to get through to May and I would be home-free.

For now, though, I had to stay in Forks.

For now, I had to deal with Will after the conversation last night. Will wasn't going to work until later that day, meaning he was still home when I walked downstairs. He was sitting on the counter in the same place I usually do, nursing a cup of coffee and looking half-asleep. He jerked to attention though when he took notice of me, eyes wide and alert now as if his fight-or-flight response had kicked in. Neither of us said a word as I stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of fruit, not even as I proceeded to sit in one of the island chairs and eat my breakfast. It was only when I was halfway through with my meal and his empty cup was sitting abandoned beside him that either of us broke the heavy silence.

"Valerie, we really need to talk ab-"

"I don't want to," I interrupted then. It wasn't that I was angry at him. Rather, I didn't want to talk about our parents anymore. It only brought up bad memories or memories I'd rather forget because they were so good that it hurt to realize I'd never have them back. I couldn't understand how Will had ever left them for ten years and even now couldn't find a single good explanation for why he agreed to take me in. It wasn't fair that I had lost everything when he didn't seem to lose anything at all. "I don't want to talk about Mom, or Dad, or why you left. I don't care. I just...want to get through my senior year in peace." Even I was surprised by how exhausted I sounded; it sounded as though I was on my last supplies of energy. Perhaps I was. As much as I hated to admit it, I wasn't coping with the losses as well as I'd made it out to seem. It was starting to show through and I hated that fact.

"Valerie, I-"

"I have to get to school. I don't wanna be late," I spoke then, setting my bowl in the sink and shouldering my backpack, heading out of the house without another word. It was never the plan to hurt him, but rather to save myself from more pain. Perhaps Will wouldn't understand that, but I couldn't find a good way to explain it to him. It was better to keep him in the dark lest he get too concerned about me and demand I need help.

The drive to school was surprisingly soothing, and I found myself with a small smile pulling at my lips when I walked into the english classroom. It provided me a time to sit, think, reevaluate, and enter the day in a new mindset. "Hi, Val!" a bright voice called out, the owner waving to me as if she hadn't seen me for weeks as opposed to a day.

I shook my head playfully as I walked to my seat, amazed at how awake the girl could be this early in the morning. "G'morning, Hannah. You're in a good mood today," I greeted, setting my books down and sitting in my seat. "Is there a particular reason or do you just like to impress everyone by actually being awake?"

"You're funny. No, I'm happy because Jordan found a great new store to shop for our homecoming dresses at! All of the girls are gonna go, including you," Hannah explained, pulling out her phone and tapping something out; she was likely texting me information. "We'll pick you up at five, okay? Maybe then we can get some dinner and then go shopping."

"You didn't ask if I wanted to," I pointed out, looking at the girl with one raised brow. She truly was a force of nature, one you really shouldn't argue with. I would try anyway, though. In truth, I wasn't as excited about homecoming anymore only because I wouldn't be with my school and friends. Back home I was the front runner for homecoming queen and everyone knew it, but here hardly anyone knew my actual name. Literally, a month in and people were still referring to me as the "new girl". I'd recently found myself hoping for a new transfer student if only for people to actually bother to learn my name. "New girl" was an epitaph I didn't want to own permanently.

"Well, I don't have to ask because of course you're coming! For one, you have to have a dress for homecoming, and two, you can't shop for it alone because that's boring and sad. It only makes sense you're coming with us," Hannah reasoned. It made sense why she was class president; Hannah was a charmer and was quite good at reasoning. She would be good at debate if the school actually had a team for it. No one could possibly say no to the girl if only because of her determination.

I would have responded, but the bell rang. The nod I gave should have been enough then, for she likely already knew I would agree. It did sound fun. The girls were great and totally welcoming, but the mention of homecoming made me remember the plans Emily, Joshua, and I had made. We had known ever since freshman year that we'd all take pictures by that tree we used to meet up at all the time as kids, then we'd go to this diner in town that we always studied at, and then go to our senior prom together. I would have fun at Forks High's prom, but it certainly wouldn't be the plan I'd had for myself. Nothing was going to plan anymore, except for Harvard.

* * *

Chemistry was another work day. It seems the teacher had come down with a pretty severe case of the flu, leaving us more time to work on the homework. I'd immediately sat down, pulling out my textbook and beginning to flip to the page of work problems. The assignment shouldn't be too difficult, thankfully. "So what's the deal with you?" Emmett asked me after a couple minutes, bumping my elbow with his and causing a line of pencil to be drawn across the page.

I glanced up at him with mild annoyance before turning my head back down to focus on erasing the line. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't take notes, and you fly through the homework like it's elementary school work," he explained himself. "It's pretty strange."

Right. I never had gotten around to explaining my strange situation. It didn't seem right, though, as though I were bragging. I already hated when people came up to me and asked how I managed to maintain being valedictorian. Back home I'd relished in being the top of my class, but here I didn't want to be recognized for it. "I've taken the class before. I took AP chemistry last year, but this school demanded I take their own chemistry course because it didn't offer AP," I explained, "Simple."

"Why _did_ you move here?" Emmett asked, causing my hand to pause in its movements and my head to snap up to stare at him. I thought I'd told him my excuse.

"Because I wanted a change of sc-"

"No one moves across the country in the middle of senior year to have a change of scenery," Emmett chuckled, clearly trying to keep the interrogation light-hearted. "Why don't you just tell people?"

I couldn't find the humor in the situation anymore, though, instead feeling a deep pressure in my chest. If I didn't know better, than I'd say it was the onset of a heart attack. I felt myself going on the defensive then, searching for any way to redirect the conversation. "Why doesn't Jasper speak to me?" I called out then, gesturing to his brother who was seated as far from me as possible at the table, focusing intently on the homework even though he was clearly almost done.

"We're not talking about h-"

I was never so thankful for a phone call. It was in that moment that my phone began to ring in my purse. My two lab partners watched me curiously as I pulled out my phone, smiling brightly and quickly answering it. The pressure eased instantly and I felt a joy spreading in its place. "Joshua? What are you doing, aren't you in school?" I spoke quickly into the phone. I hadn't heard from my other close friend in so long. Ever since the whole trial process had begun, really. The trio, Josh, Em, and I, had been thick as thieves all through school. When someone saw one of us, the other two were usually close behind. We did everything together and couldn't imagine ever being split up, especially before senior year.

"Well yeah, but aren't you, too?" Joshua laughed, pointing out a flaw in my critique. The boy didn't stop though, only continuing on to the point of his call. "Hey, so when is homecoming for you?"

"Uh, October 15th. Why?" I answered, now curious. It seemed my lab partners were curious, too, because they both were watching me as if I was part of an entertaining soap opera or something. Josh must have been speaking loudly, too, for the pair of boys were responding to the conversation as if they could hear both sides of it.

"Well, I got to thinking about it, and I realized that homecoming won't be much without you there. So I talked to my dad and he said he'd fly you down here for the weekend. It's the fifteenth here, too," Joshua explained, voice not hiding how excited he was at the prospect of seeing me again. It truly was sweet. I found myself smiling brightly at the thought of my friend caring so much that he would have his wealthy dad pay to have me come down to Alabama for the weekend. It seemed like the perfect plan, and I would have loved to do nothing else. Except, I'd already promised Hannah that I would go to homecoming with her group of friends, and it would be rude to back out now simply because my old life came calling.

"Josh, you are too sweet. That's so amazing, but I already have plans. A group of us were going to go and I don't want to let them dow-" Normally Josh was respectful and waited for me to finish speaking. He must have been extremely excited about the plan he'd created, for he jumped on the opportunity to speak even before my thought was finished.

"Well then I'll come up there!" Josh exclaimed, the volume of his voice making me jump in my seat. Was he insane? What kind of person dropped their own senior homecoming to travel across the country and attend a friend's homecoming? It made my cheeks heat up and my heart melt. Joshua truly was one of the sweetest people I knew.

"Josh, that's craz-"

"No way! It'll be fun. I've never been out of Alabama and it's the perfect chance to. Dad won't mind. I'm sure he'd welcome having the house to himself for once. I'll let him know the plan. It's a date then! See you on the fifteenth, Val!" Josh spoke passionately, soon after hanging up before I had a chance to respond. I sat still for a moment, phone in hand and looking at my lab partners in confusion. I loved Josh and I'd definitely missed one of my closer friends, but it didn't make sense why he would all of a sudden offer to come see me, especially on a night as big as that one. He'd called it a date, was he being serious? Did I want it to be a date? I found my cheeks warming even more severely at the thought of actually having Josh as my date to senior homecoming. My face must have been hot pink by the time my thoughts on the subject concluded.

"So who's Josh?" The question surprised me, breaking me out of my thoughts. Emmett was still looking at me, though Jasper had turned his head down to focus on his work. He looked more tense than he has been the past couple of weeks, though, which didn't make sense.

"Oh, a friend from Roseville," I explained, turning my attention back to the homework. It was hard to focus, though, after that call. The purpose of the call was clear, but was there any underlying purpose beyond it that I was meant to understand? What had Josh meant when he called it a date? I was afraid for both possibilities. I welcomed the chance at a relationship before heading off to college, but I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be with one of my closest friends from my old town; a boy who knew everything about my past, knew why I was here in the first place. It was tough being between two worlds; unable to return to my old life but not being willing to jump wholly into the new one.

"Sounds like more than a friend to me," Emmett chuckled. When I gave him a confused look, he added, "The guy spoke loudly. It wasn't hard to hear."

Right, of course. That made sense then. "No, we're definitely just friends. I can promise you that. We've known each other since grade school. Well, pretty much everyone did but that's beside the point. What I mean is, he's such a good friend and I wouldn't want to ruin that." It was more than what I meant to say, but the words had fallen from my lips before I could truly process what was happening. I didn't like to talk about anything or anyone from Roseville lest people figure it out. "Besides, I'm not looking for romance. No connections to anything when I leave for college, it's better that way."

"Whatever you say," Emmett chuckled, working on his own homework now. "That's the most you've said about yourself, Dryden, you know that?"

"What?" The comment didn't exactly make sense. Of course I've spoken about myself! I was definitely personable with the people around me, I always have been and always will be. I just didn't want to talk about a specific part of me.

"I'm just saying that I've been talking to you everyday for a month and I don't know anything about you," he explained to me, hardly glancing up from what he was working on. The statement caused me to drift from my work, though. I lifted my head and stared, almost incredulously. Was he serious?

When he didn't elaborate, I had to assume he was serious. "I could say the same for you?" It was meant to be a statement, but came out more of a question. I was still clearly confused by what he had said. How did he not know much? That had to be a fault of his own rather than mine, right? People wouldn't keep talking to me if they didn't have a reason to, and people didn't have a reason to talk to strangers. I wanted to elaborate, but the bell rang, leaving me with the remnants of a confusing conversation.

* * *

"I have to skip dinner tonight," I spoke aloud as Rebecca walked through the door. She'd stayed at school extra to get some grading done, but as soon as she walked through the door I let her know about my plans. "A group of us are going dress shopping."

Rebecca glanced at me for just a moment, as if checking to see if I was lying, then nodded. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with that. Have fun, I'll let Will know. Do you need any money?" she offered, reaching for her purse to hit the idea home.

"No, I have some. Thanks, Rebecca," I spoke before grabbing my own bag and heading outside to wait for my friends. Sure enough, a few minutes later a car was pulling into the driveway. Inside, I could see Hannah, Jordan, Maria, and Sawyer. I smiled and headed out to the car, slipping in beside Jordan who sat in the middle of the backseat. "Hey," I greeted coolly as Hannah began driving once more, heading right out of town. It made sense we had to go to a larger city to get any shopping done; there truly was nothing in Forks.

"Hey! So what color dress are you thinking? I think I want to go for a pink dress this year. Well, I do that every year but this time I think I'll do a lighter pink," Hannah began to ramble. Did it matter? I wasn't too picky on the color of my dress as long as it looked good on me. Still, I answered. Soon enough the group of us was actually having a nice conversation. We started talking about dances, and then dancing, and soon enough we were talking about dates. "Mike Newton asked me to homecoming today," Hannah gushed, looking quite proud of herself. I'd heard about him; he was popular but was desperate for a girlfriend. Still, I was happy for my new friend.

"That's so cool! Damien and I are going together, but that's not much of a surprise," Sawyer spoke. No, it wasn't a surprise. Apparently they'd been dating for two years now, and were even going to the same college in the fall. They were meant to be, so of course they were going to this dance together. "How about you, Val? Any guy asked you out?"

There it was. I didn't want to make it seem like a date when it wasn't, but these girls all _did_ have dates. Perhaps it was a normal thing. Besides, it couldn't be too harmful to say it, right? "My good friend from Roseville asked me to be his date today. He's flying up in time for the dance." That one silenced the girls. At first I thought perhaps they believe I was lying, or maybe they thought it was crazy. Then the squealing began.

"That is so sweet!" "Why can't I have a guy like that?" "You picked a good one, Valerie!"

"I'm excited to meet him. What's his name?" Hannah finally asked once everyone calmed down. When I told her, she made a noise as though she were seriously thinking about the name before saying, "Cute. I'm happy for you, Val."

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I ended up getting a black dress that was absolutely gorgeous. The night was actually really fun, and I could truly seeing myself talking to these girls for the next several months. Thankfulness flooded through me that Hannah had chosen to introduce herself to me that first day, even if I hadn't originally intended for her to. Laurie had stayed up and waited for the bedtime story, so I told her another one about Gideon before walking back to my room. Will and Rebecca were sound asleep, meaning I didn't have to deal with the wrath of Will for this morning.

Apparently, I had to deal with the wrath of Emily, though.

When I got to my room, I checked my phone before getting ready for bed. I had one text. That was it. It was a short one too, really only a couple words even, but I could tell that something was horribly wrong. 'Call me' it read. So I did. I held the phone up to my ear and paced the room, biting on a nail from my empty hand in nervousness. What could possibly be so wrong that Emily could be that short and demanding? She answered quickly, and immediately I was barraged by her words.

"How dare you be so cruel?! I thought we were friends, Val, I really did!" Emily screamed into the phone, making my ear ring with the sheer volume and high pitch.

"What? What did I do?" I answered back incredulously, not understanding any of what she was saying to me. As far as I knew, I'd done nothing to her. In fact, it was kind of hard to do anything wrong when I was across the country from her. This didn't make sense. It felt like Lizzy Crandell had spread rumors about me again and Emily had believed it for once.

"You know what you did." Emily was quieter this time, but that made the rage even more evident in her tone of voice. "I was supposed to have the perfect homecoming, and you took him from me! I really thought he would ask me to homecoming, and yet somehow perfect Valerie gets everything yet again even though you're as far from us as possible!"

Oh. This was about Joshua. A sigh slipped from my lips, realizing exactly why Emily was so angry. Joshua hadn't been smart with how he'd handled the situation, apparently. Also, apparently he was spreading the news that I was his homecoming date if Emily suddenly knew about it before I had the chance to tell her. The idea was endearing, and would have made me smile in any other circumstance. "Em, please, let me explain. He was the one who asked m-"

"I don't care! I don't care anymore, Valerie! It's always like this. Valerie and Emily, the dynamic duo! Except guess what? It's always Valerie that gets everything, all the attention, the awards, the guys. Everything, and I'm always stuck in your shadow. Even when you're in goddamn Washington! I'm sick and tired of it, Valerie, I really am. There's no way for me to get out from behind your shadow. I'm done with it and I'm done with you. Have a good homecoming," Emily snapped, sounding clearly hurt and angry. It all happened so quickly. I tried to think of something, anything, to say but my mind froze, leaving us in silence. She didn't wait for me to answer, instead she hung up the call as soon as she'd started it, leaving me alone in my room. Suddenly the solitude felt a lot greater than normal, and I was overwhelmed by the loneliness.

It didn't make sense. Never once had she ever vocalized her concerns about our friendship. Never once had she made it clear that she felt like I was somehow getting more opportunities than her. She always told me how proud she was of me, but never once did she say she felt jealous or hurt by how many good things had come my way. This was the last straw for her, and I'd lost her just like that. My ties to Roseville were being snipped one by one and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I found myself sitting in the middle of the floor in my bedroom, phone still in my hand and tears in my eyes once more. I'd cried more in the past month than in the rest of my life. Dad always hated crying; he said it was a sign of weakness. I must be weak because I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. They just kept spilling over my cheeks as I realized that I was losing my hometown. I was trying to cling desperately to it, but my hometown was pulling away from me slowly. I had to disconnect from it before it did the job for me. I had to forget Roseville and establish a life here in Forks, if only for a few months. Just as Emmett had hinted at in chemistry, I had to allow people to get to know me, for real. There was no other option anymore.


	6. Relations

**A/N: Hello, all! How is everyone doing? I know this is a couple days before I normally release, but I'm going to be super busy here soon. I can't quite promise an update next week, but if it doesn't happen then I'll make it up by updating twice in a week later. I really love seeing all of the reviews you're posting, they truly do make my day! I smile so much every time I get an email that says a new review was posted. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**  
 _Relations_

* * *

At first, I was sure Will would forget about our argument from a couple days ago, but soon found out the assumption was horribly wrong. When I walked down the stairs the next morning, Will was sitting there again. I had to wonder if the hospital had scheduled him later shifts just to spite me. He had a bowl of cereal in hand this morning, eating at a steady pace until he took note of me. He slowed tenfold then, watching me closely as I prepared a bowl of strawberries and sat up on the counter like I did every morning. Will's eyes lingered as if he truly believed I would snap at any moment.

"Were you crying last night?" Will asked me, pronouncing every syllable like he was scared to ask me. Maybe he was.

"No," I lied, resuming my breakfast soon after. It was clear he knew I was lying, but I honestly couldn't bring myself to answer truthfully. If I did, then he would want to know why. The phone call from last night was still fresh in my mind. I didn't want to vocalize that I'd lost my best friend quite yet. It would also be tough confiding in Will about anything right now, considering he was still so on edge about my health. After that last conversation, I was sure he wanted to have me admitted somewhere. It was a wonder he still let me take over telling Laurie bedtime stories.

Will watched me then. He paused eating, gray eyes flitting about as he took in my features. It was clear he was breaking apart each part of my expression, trying to search for something specific laying within. "You can talk to me, you know. We're family," the adult spoke then, taking my wrist in his hand after I'd stood to put my empty bowl away. His eyebrows were pulled together, face desperate for any kind of response from me that wasn't cold.

"I don't know anything about you," I finally spoke, voice so quiet even I wasn't sure the words had sounded. Will seemed taken aback, but I continued anyway. "Have you thought about that? We're supposedly family, but we don't know anything about each other. The last time I saw you was when I was seven. Do you know how much has happened since I was seven?"

"Yeah, but we're still s-"

"Siblings?" I cut him off. Honestly, I wasn't sure why I was making things worse. It was like my life wasn't already a mess and I wanted to make it worse for some reason. The words were spilling out of me and I had no way to stop them. These were all things I'd wanted to say before, but I couldn't bring myself to. "Will, I know nothing about your life. I don't know your birthday, your anniversary, Laurie's birthday. I wasn't even aware you got married until you showed up after Mom died. If you didn't care to know about my life back then, then why should you care now?"

Silence. I think I overdid it. "I have to get to school," I murmured, ending the conversation and grabbing the keys to my car.

I was thankful for the drive to the school, no matter how short it was. It gave me time to collect myself before entering the building. Last night it had been decided that I would be giving Forks High a new start. Perhaps the high school wasn't my prison, but an attempt to find some peace in my turbulent life. After all, the people there were nothing but kind, for the most part. It wasn't Hannah's fault that I had to leave my old life behind. Emmett was right, too, why shouldn't they get to know me? They weren't Will; they'd never had a chance to know me, so I shouldn't take that away from them just because Will didn't take the opportunity.

"You look like you're in a good mood," Hannah spoke up from her seat in English. How did she always get to the classroom before me? I thought I showed up to the school early, but she must get there as soon as the doors opened. "Did that Josh kid propose or something?" she laughed, though her expression showed she still wasn't leaving that option out.

"No, he didn't," I responded lightly, shaking my head and sitting down in my own desk. "I think I'm finally starting to settle in here, though," I answered. "You said quiz team tryouts are soon, right?"

Hannah's face lit up at the mention. I had told her earlier that I had no intentions of joining the Forks quiz team, but it was more out of spite than anything else. I hadn't wanted to establish a life in Forks because I still had one waiting for me in Roseville. Now that Roseville was abandoning me, though, I knew I had to find my own life here. "Yep! Next wednesday is the last day to sign up. I thought you weren't going to join?"

"I thought so too," I answered, meaning to elaborate but Mr. Rosen cut us off then by beginning class. The lecture was boring; I'd already read Sound and the Fury so didn't need another lesson on it. In fact, all of my classes seemed to rush by. I tried speaking to more people, though. Like in drawing class I'd made an actual effort to talk to Nick, who really was a nice guy. We'd sat at the same lunch table for a month and I don't think we'd ever had the chance to really talk to one another. He was quite the artist, too.

Then chemistry. The same feeling of dread threatened to bubble up in my chest then as I entered the room. I hated to avoid speaking to someone so rudely, and it filled be with guilt every time. It wasn't just me though; there were times I'd speak and Jasper just wouldn't have a response. At least he wasn't my only lab partner.

"How's your boyfriend?" my other lab partner asked as soon as I walked into the room, calling it out so loudly that everyone else in the room turned to glance at me. From the heat in my face I knew my cheeks had turned bright pink.

"I told you yesterday, he's not my boyfriend," I corrected, rolling my gray-green eyes and setting my books down at the table. I could have sworn I saw Jasper visibly relax then, though it could have been a figment of my imagination. "He's a good friend of mine that I haven't seen since I moved here."

"That's not what I heard this morning," Emmett laughed, nudging my side with his elbow. He was always gentle with me; I could tell even then that he was trying hard not to put much strength behind the movement. I was glad he was a friend of mine; I wouldn't want to be on the bad side of someone so visibly strong. "The whole school's talking about you and your lover," he continued, eyes twinkling with such amusement I was surprised he hadn't formulated the rumors himself. "Apparently you're engaged. I don't see the ring, Valerie."

The expression on my face must have been a sight, because Emmett howled with laughter then, catching the attention of the lab group beside us. Even Jasper had a smile pulling on his lips; the other boy watching our interaction from the other side of Emmett. "What? Where would someone even get that idea?" I asked incredulously, watching as Emmett grabbed the edge of the table as if it could somehow get him to stop laughing. "Stop laughing, it's not funny!" But even by now I couldn't hide the smile on my face.

"Just face it, you're the new kid. You're going to have rumors spreading about you until people know who you are," Emmett explained. "It happened with us, too."

Sometimes I forgot that they were the new kids before I was. The difference was, they all had each other to lean on. It seemed, though, that they never stopped leaning on each other. Every time I saw any of the Cullens, another wasn't far behind. "I hate to break it to you, but there are still rumors about you all. I think I've learned more about y'all from other people than from being your lab partner."

"You don't really believe those rumors, right?" Emmett laughed then. "They're about as true as all the rumors about you." There were multiple? This was the first time I was hearing about any of it. I was suddenly thankful that it was another work day, for I was given an option to lean in close and hear everything people said about me.

"What do people say?" I returned then, "None of it's true, probably."

"Let's find out," Emmett continued then, not even bothering to pull out his textbook and pretend to work. "You tell me a rumor you've heard, and I'll tell you if it's true or not. But I get to do the same." This felt like a trap. I couldn't help but feel nervous at the prospect of sharing any more information with him, but I had to remind myself that it was my new goal. I couldn't establish a life here if no one knew what was real about me and what was only a figment of the town's imagination.

"Fine," I answered, tapping my fingers on my chin from the hand it rested upon, trying to think of a proper question to ask. There were so many things I heard about the family, but I couldn't find it in me to start with the really juicy stuff. "You're from Alaska."

"That's the best you can come up with? Yes, we're from Alaska. We moved here my Sophomore year," Emmett answered, shaking his head at my question. "I heard you're here because you got arrested in Roseville."

I scoffed then, rolling my eyes at the rumor. "No, of course not. What, do people think valedictorians just go around committing crimes? That's crazy," I countered, though a loose smile remained on my face. "You can just dispel that one, okay? I heard...y'all are dating each other."

"We're not related, right?" was all he said. It wasn't a denial, which made me nod. I supposed it made sense then. They weren't, in fact, related, so it was okay for them to date, I guessed. It was still pretty weird though. "And not all of us are. Just Rosalie and I." Fair enough. "You don't like Forks."

"It's growing on me," I answered quickly. "You don't talk to anyone because you think yourself superior."

"Why would I think that?" Emmett laughed then, clearly amused with the rumors being spread about his family.

"Oh no, not just you. All your siblings, too," I added then. Most of the rumors about them I'd chosen to ignore, but this one might've had some truth to it. I didn't truly believe Emmett was capable of such thoughts, but Jasper? I'd come to the conclusion that he ignored me because he thought himself better than me. For whatever reason, I wasn't good enough to have his time of day.

"Well, I assure you, that one is false," Emmett answered for me. "Apparently you're lying about why you came to Forks. Apparently...both of your parents died."

Yikes. Is that what people thought. I supposed it made sense; people will assume the worst until you give them an explanation. Still, I honestly thought people would take my word that I was just looking for a change of scenery here. "No. No, that one's not true either," I answered, thankful to hear the bell ring. As soon as I heard it, I leapt up from the stool and grabbed my books, all but running out of the room.

Lunch didn't come fast enough. I'd spent too long thinking about my family then. Even through lunch as the girls and guys were talking about the latest homework assignments and gossip, I was thinking back on my conversation with Emmett. It was strange that people were so interested in my life. I was just some girl from Alabama, it's not like I'm anything interesting. It made sense for there to be rumors about the Cullens; they were all absolutely gorgeous and appeared to be straight out of a movie. They were mysterious and interesting; that one made sense, but me? I could admit I was somewhat attractive, but nowhere near their level, and was anything but mysterious. I dropped my head onto my arms on the table, tired of being the new kid. The others let it happen, too, knowing that there were days when I just preferred to relish in my own thoughts.

"Hey, uh, Val?" Jordan grabbed my attention from across the lunch table. When I lifted my head again, I noticed her eyes were focused on something behind me. "Someone's staring at you." She winked at me then, as if she knew something I didn't. I spun in my seat then, trying to see who it was that she was talking about. Surprise ran through me when I caught the golden gaze of none other than Jasper. He hadn't spared me much more than a glance for a month, and now he was staring? "What did you do?"

"Nothing, I don't think," I answered, forcing myself to turn around to face my own lunch table again. The feeling on the back of my neck didn't ease though, telling me he hadn't looked away yet. "Really. I haven't even spoken to him today."

"You also haven't complained, either," Jordan laughed, shaking her head. "Normally you sit down and rant about the guy. Did something happen?" Clearly no one believed me.

"No! Nothing happened, I promise. And maybe I'm just tired of drama. If he wants to think he's too good to talk to me, then so be it. I'm not gonna waste my energy on it anymore." The feeling that he was watching me went away right after.

When I walked into the calculus room, he was already sitting in his seat beside mine. I made my way slowly over to the table, trying to ignore what happened at lunch. It didn't make sense to me why he would be staring, and honestly I didn't want to worry about it. As I'd told my friends, I was making a serious effort to reevaluate how I planned to live my life in Forks for the next several months. It would do no good to worry about any sort of drama, especially concerning a guy.

I'd actually intended to focus on Mr. Gleeson's lecture that day, but it seemed Jasper had other intentions. Soon after class had begun, he whispered to me, "You really think I believe I'm better than you?" His voice sounded incredulous, like his actions thus far couldn't possibly lead me to that conclusion.

"Well, yeah, actually. But it doesn't matter," I whispered back shortly, not even bothering to turn my head in his direction. I could see out of the corner of my vision that he was looking at me, golden eyes looking over my expression much in the same way Will had that morning.

"That could not be further from the truth," he corrected me then, clearly ignoring that fact that I didn't want to talk to him. I was done, honestly.

"Really? Never could've guessed that one," I shot back in a whisper, finally pulling my gaze from the front of the classroom to him. His honey-colored hair was looking as perfect as ever and his eyes looked into mine. He seemed almost amused by this conversation.

"Are you sure you're not dating Josh?" He seemed concerned by it. That one pissed me off more than anything else.

"And what? You ignore me for a month and think you can just talk to me again? That's not how this works. You've acted disgusted by me for a month, you don't get to ask me questions about my love life," I snapped back, trying hard to keep my voice down to a whisper. I wanted nothing more than to yell at him, but I was already on thin ice with Mr. Gleeson after the last time I'd argued with Jasper in class.

"I was never disgusted by you, Valerie," Jasper explained, "I just don't believe it wouldn't be wise for you to be friends with me."

I watched him then, searching his expression for any sign of a joke. When no further explanation came, I shot back, "Then why are you talking to me?" When he didn't reply, I turned my head back to the front of the room to attempt taking notes about derivatives.

* * *

"Are you sure, Valerie? I don't want to make you stay in just to watch her," Rebecca spoke as she flew around her bedroom getting ready. I sat on her made bed, legs tucked under me and using my arm behind me to stay upright. "I don't mind rescheduling so the babysitter can watch."

"Rebecca, I really don't mind," I told her once more as she adjusting her red dress and touched up her makeup. "If I minded, I would have said no. Go have fun, you deserve to have a date night." Rebecca and Will had planned a night out in Seattle, but the babysitter had called that afternoon to cancel suddenly. They were worried to ask me because I'd never had to watch Laurie all night before, but I didn't mind.

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow when we get back," Rebecca told me.

"Please, you do enough for me already. Go enjoy yourself. We'll both be here all safe and sound tomorrow," I answered. It was a Friday evening, so she likely assumed I had a party to go to. The thing she forgot was, I'm still the new kid. I had plenty of parties and hangouts to attend in Roseville, but no such thing existed for me here in Forks. Besides, I truly did enjoy being around my niece.

"Of course. Be safe. Have a good night, Val," Rebecca spoke before giving me a hug and hurrying out the front door. Will had been waiting for her in the car.

I stood up from my spot on the bed, then, closing the bedroom door on the way out. I found Laurie coloring in her bedroom. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, Laurie," I spoke then, sitting down on the ground and leaning against her bed frame. "What're you coloring?"

"Star Wars," she answered, resuming sticking her tongue out to focus soon after. I nodded and then proceeded to pull out my own homework to do. There wasn't too much, thankfully.

Two hours later, I realized Rebecca and Will had picked an awful night to leave the house. A bad storm had hit Forks, effectively waking up Laurie and sending her screaming through the hallway to my bedroom. "Aunt Val! Aunt Val!" she shouted, hopping up onto my bed and shaking me even though I was already awake. Another bolt of lightning elicited another shriek from her, her little arms wrapping around me tightly.

"It's okay, it's just a storm. We're inside, nothing can hurt you, Laurie," I cooed then, wrapping my arms around her, too. It seemed fate hated me, though, for then the lights flickered and then went out completely. I'd never hurt a little girl scream so loud. "It's okay, I promise. The power just went out." I grabbed my phone then, turning the flashlight on and handing it to her. "Go down stairs and sitting on the couch, okay? I'll be there in just a moment, I promise."

"Okay," she returned tentatively, walking slowly out of my room and down the stairs, my phone held out in front of her like a beacon.

I got up from bed then, pulling on a bra and feeling my way around the house to find a proper flashlight. By the time I made it to the living room, I'd found three flashlights, a lighter, and four candles. I set up and lit all four candles in the living room, then lit up all of the flashlights. Though the room was still shadowy, there was some clear light in the living room. At that point I could see Laurie sitting on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest, hands clutching my phone tightly. Her gray eyes were watching me with a scared expression; clearly power outages didn't happen too frequently around here.

"Hey, Laurie. I know I already told you a story tonight, but do you want to hear another one?" I asked then, sitting down beside her and raising a brow.

"About Gideon?" she probed, moving to sit on my lap and straddle my waist with her little legs.

"Nope, not this time. About your grandma, my mom," I spoke gently then. Her expression lit up then. No one talked about my mom or my dad around her. She knew even less than what I knew about Will, which just broke my heart. I'd wanted to tell her stories of Mom before, but I'd never had the courage. It seemed now was better than never, though. "Okay. I used to play outside a lot when I was younger, just a little older than you. Your grandma only had two rules for me. One, I had to be home by supper. Two, if I ever heard thunder then I was to run home, no matter where I was or what I was doing," I began to explain, a small, nostalgic smile taking over my expression.

"So there was one day when I went out exploring. I'd gone pretty far from home, too, further than I'd ever gone before. I was alone this time, too, not with any of my friends. I saw dark clouds moving across the sun, but I didn't think anything of it. I was just so excited to be outside. Then I heard thunder. Loud, rolling thunder. The kind that makes the ground shake a little. You know the kind?" When Laurie nodded, enthralled with the story, I continued.

"Well, I wasn't smart. I wanted to explore some more, so I didn't go back home. I ended up caught in the middle of a storm outside. I got really scared, too, because of all the lightning, but the rain was coming down so hard that I couldn't find my way back into town. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the storm. Now, your grandma was terrified. She could've stayed inside though, but you know what she did? She was a hero that night, and ran out into the storm. She went searching for me for hours, and finally found me. She took me home. Guess what? The next night, we found out that a huge tree had fallen right in the area I'd been exploring in. I could have died, but your grandma was a hero."

"Wow! Grandma saved you?" Laurie asked then, leaning in closer to me with wide eyes.

"Yep, she sure did. She always acted like that, though, totally selfless. She always did right by her family, that was for sure. And she was brave, too. She could get scared, but she never let that fear rule her," I explained then, "And guess what?"

"What?" Laurie asked then, enthralled by my words. I felt a lump forming in my throat through the story and I was sure my eyes were glassy with unfallen tears. Despite this, though, a smile remained on my face. I missed Mom, but was so proud to say I knew her.

"You remind me so much of her," I spoke, brushing some of Laurie's hair out of her face. "You're selfless, and kind, and so, so brave. She could do anything she set her mind to, and so can you. Never forget that, okay?"

"Okay!" Laurie spoke, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. The storm continued on, and Laurie still jumped, but she didn't scream again.

"C'mon, let's get to sleep, okay?" I offered.

"I don't wanna be alone," she murmured then, gripping onto my t-shirt.

I watched her then. Never would I have guessed that I'd be good with kids. It came pretty naturally, though, which I supposed was a good thing. "How about we have a slumber party in the living room, okay? You go get your sleeping bag and pillow from your room, and I'll get us plenty of blankets."

When Rebecca and Will would return the following morning, they would find Laurie laying in my arms in a pile of blankets on the living room floor. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but if it helped Laurie get to sleep, then I would do it.

Surprisingly enough, that was the first night since I'd arrived in Forks that I didn't have a dream about home.


	7. Tabula Rasa

**A/N: A couple days late is better than never, right? I was busy this week so I couldn't get this up Friday, but at least it's here now! Things will start moving here now as we're picking up into the main plot of the story, which is nice! We're not quite there yet, but we're getting there! I have most things planned out from here on out, it's just execution of it.**

 **Anyway, I've decided to do review responses. You guys take the time to let me know feedback and let me know your thoughts on the story, so I want to take some time to respond to each of you! So, those will be at the bottom of the chapter.**

 **As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! Until Friday, love ya!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**  
 _Tabula Rasa_

* * *

"Okay, we're only down by one. That's not an insurmountable difference, we can do this. Casey, make sure to stay up by the post to receive the crosses. Jordan, keep runnin' our defense. Let's go finish this." The Forks High Spartans were losing to another school's soccer team again that night, which wasn't too much of a surprise. The Forks team definitely wasn't as good as my team back home. The difference was, the team back home was a well-oiled machine of girls who had played together since we could first kick a soccer ball around. We knew each of our weaknesses and strengths, and how to work with all of them. The Roseville women's soccer team competed at the State tournament every year, while Forks would be lucky to win the league at all. The good news for us was, the deciding match was that night, our homecoming match. We just needed two goals. "Spartans on three. One, two, three, Spartans!"

It was then everyone ran off the sideline and onto the pitch. The dark green of our team's jerseys hardly stood out from the lighter green of the turf, making the contrast of my bright red jersey even more shocking. The dark clouds hanging over the sky were crying, leaving my hair soaked and heavy in its ponytail. Playing in the rain was refreshing during the warmer months, but in October it left me chilled to the bone. My shoulders shook as I scanned the field, thankful that goalkeeper gloves were protecting my hands from the cold rain.

"I got it!" I screamed only moments later, rushing out and sliding to the ground. Each second seemed to take an hour as I reached my hands out and latched onto the soccer ball, stealing it from the feet of the other team's player. She backed off and turned, running from the box as I gained clear possession of the ball. "Go!" I shouted, urging my team to run further down the field for me to dropkick it toward them. My throat would be scratchy and raw after this match, as it usually was.

The game continued as such. It was the homecoming soccer match, meaning there were more spectators than usual; however, that didn't leave many to fill the stands. I could pick out Rebecca sitting with a couple of other teachers, Laurie sitting just in front of her. Hannah was standing at the half-fence, leaning on the metal to steady her camera. Every so often she would shout for either Jordan or I, cheering us on even when we were losing. I was kept busy through the whole match, sliding and tackling to grab the ball before the other team could score and put themselves ahead by two points. Partway into the last half, Casey scored one for us. We were tied. We were also tired. I could see it on the faces of my teammates; we didn't have many substitutes, so most of us were worn down. The rain made the ball slick, making the game move faster, too.

I could see it. Typically it's easier to tell when a shot is going to be a goal. The girl running at me was large; I could see each muscle in her legs rippling as she ran at me, ball perfectly controlled at her feet. She had a determined look on her face, knowing that she needed to score to put her team ahead of ours and win the league. This one was up to me. I took off. The screams from the crowd were only increasing my adrenaline, making my heart pound in my ears. She made a mistake; the ball went too far ahead of her feet. That was my chance, and I took it. I slid to the ground and wrapped my arms around the ball, proving clear possession of the ball. I heard massive cheers from the crowd, again in slow motion. The girl should have stopped, she had time to. Instead, I felt a stabbing pain in my lower chest as her cleat connected with my lower ribs. Someone was shouting; I think it was me. I could hear a whistle blowing and shadows were covering the stadium lights now, someone was talking to me.

"Valerie! Dryden, look at me. Are you okay?" That was the coach. She was kneeling in front of me, eyebrows furrowed on her face as she looked over me. My hands hadn't let go of the ball yet, clinging to it tightly as if it were a life preserver. My ribs killed, that was for sure. I could see the girl being given a red card, being ejected from the game.

"I blocked it," I murmured. It was all I could think to say. The pain wasn't quite registering with me, the adrenaline of the game forcing me to forget about the injury I'd likely sustained. "We haven't lost."

"No, no we haven't lost," the coach laughed, her worry seeming to ease a little as I began speaking, as my gaze focused on something finally. There was still an underlying fear though, and I knew what it was. She thought I was sitting out for the match, leaving them without a keeper. Coach Johnson was wrong. I could remember being in seventh grade and I'd fallen strange when I'd gone for the ball. Turns out I had sprained my wrist, but it was the final match for a tournament, so I'd played through the pain even at that age. Now this was potentially my last soccer match ever and it was for the league title; the first league title Forks High would win for women's soccer. There was no way I was allowing this injury to rule me, especially when it likely wasn't as bad as that sprained wrist from years before.

"I'm playing," I told Coach Johnson, turning to allow myself room to push up on the ground and get to my feet. Albeit slowly, I managed to stand up and adjust my jersey, hearing the crowd cheer as I stood.

"Be careful," the coach told me, but grinned as she clapped me on the back. It was easy to see the pure relief on her face as she saw I was playing still. I nodded to the rest of the team, seeing them gathered around just behind the coach. They, too, were watching with wide eyes, hoping I would be able to continue playing. I was their only option for a goalkeeper.

I couldn't let the adrenaline fade. I motioned to the referee to signal I was ready to resume play, knowing the more I stood around the more the injury would make itself noticeable to me. The final ten minutes were agonizing still; it was clear there was something wrong. I tried desperately not to focus on it, but my movements were slower than normal. Still, somehow, we managed to hold out the tie.

"Golden goal. That sucks ass," Jordan hissed to me as the whistle blew to signal the end of the game. We circled up in the middle of the field to pick our team of five for the penalty shootout. Each team would pick five people to shoot a penalty shot against the other team's goalkeeper. By the end, whichever team scored the most penalty shots would win the game, and thus win the league. We formed our team quickly, and soon I was lined back up on my goalline. I watched as our team scored three of our five shots. That means I had to block at least three of the other team's goals for us to win.

I blocked the first one. It was a simple read; a flick of the girl's gaze to the left upper corner let me know which way to move when she began to kick the ball. The second one was a well-timed kick into the lower right corner; I couldn't quite get to it in time. That left three more kicks, two of which I had to block.

The third girl lined up. She took a few steps back from the ball, her eyes not leaving mine. That is, until she began running up on the ball. As soon as she did, her green eyes shifted to watch the left side of the goal. There it was, the striker's tell. I leapt into action as soon as her foot collided with the ball, jumping to the side and smacking the ball out of the path of the net, saving the goal. The cheers were as loud as ever; not just from the crowd but from my team, now lined up at the edge of the penalty box. They were watching intently. So much depended on just two penalty kicks. With this second to last kick, I could win the game. My team has gotten us this far, all I had to do was add the finishing touch. There was no way I was going to let them down. The girls watched with bated breath as the other team's kicker lined up. She glared at me through the entire kick, not giving away which way she was kicking. I didn't even notice her tell until after the ball left her foot; her foot was lined up to kick right. I'd already been moving left, so I had to make up for lost time. I leaped to the right, hand outstretched in a desperate attempt to reach the ball in time. I managed to hit the ball out of the way, falling to the ground unceremoniously. My face had hit the goalpost on the way down and I'm sure the liquid wetting my face was most certainly nose blood, but I could care less. A wide smile reached my lips as the referee whistled to signal there was a winner. We'd done it. The team ran forward to meet me then, all of us screaming and laughing, some of the seniors were crying. We'd actually won the league; we'd done exactly what we came here to do, and it was a great feeling. The feeling of winning this league felt like when my team back home had won the state tournament; we'd accomplished a seemingly impossible task as I felt unbeatable in that moment. Hannah was on the field, too, taking a picture of the team celebrating; I was in the front of the shot, blood having run from my nose down my face and covering the front of my jersey, but a bright smile on my face. The crowd was cheering, screaming actually. The other team was already on their way out. The game was officially over.

That was when the adrenaline wore off, and I collapsed haphazardly on the ground.

* * *

The next thing I saw was white. It was a dull white clearly not meant to be too stimulating for the person in the room. A constant beeping was heard from beside me, reminding me too much of my alarm for the mornings. The smell could only be described as impossibly clean; the kind of smell that's given from harsh cleaners and antiseptics. Instantly I knew where I was, and instantly that beeping quickened its pace. A hospital, much like the one my mother died in. Much like the one I'd spent the worst day of my life in. There was no way I was staying here.

A groan slipped from between my lips as I attempted to even sit up, though, causing me to flop back onto the bed with a defeated huff. The pain from my chest was unbelievable even when I did something as simple as breathe; moving from the bed was absolutely out of the question. The noises from me and the higher heart rate must have gotten the attention of the staff, as soon enough a woman in blue scrubs was walking at a quick pace into the room.

"It's good to see you awake, dear. How much pain are you feeling right now?" she asked me then, stepping up to the side of the bed and checking the monitors just behind me.

"I feel like my chest got stabbed," I managed, trying not to breathe too deeply lest the pain return.

The woman cracked a small smile at the analogy, clearly noting that I seemed to be doing alright, before returning with, "That sounds about right for two cracked ribs and one broken one." Damn, that girl really did a number on me. "It was your adrenaline from that game that kept you going, it was no surprise the pain made you pass out as soon as the game was over." When I didn't respond, she continued, "Will's been a nervous wreck. Visiting hours are over but I think we can make an exception for one of our own. I'll go get him."

With that, I was left alone again. I took that moment to let my gaze wander about the room. It was a clean white, just as I'd expected. Even the few bits of furniture in the room were white. There were a couple monitors behind my bed, one attached to the end of my finger to keep post on my vitals. An IV was inserted into the back of my left hand, connected to a drip just to the side of the bed. A chair sat to the right of the bed and a familiar jacket was thrown over it; Will had already been in to see me once. Several cards and a few flowers filled the one table in the room. The sight caused a smile to pull on my features; people really did care enough about me to send something if not try to come visit.

"Val," a voice breathed, "Thank God you're okay." Will was practically running into the room at that point, taking up his post in the chair beside my bed, hand grasping out for mine. He was still in his nurse scrubs but it was clear from his disheveled hair and deep circles under his eyes that he hasn't done much but worry about me for the time I've been here. A quick glance out the window let me see that the sun was just beginning to peak over the trees of the nearby forest, letting me know I'd been out for the rest of that night. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you."

"Will, a couple ribs are broken. It's not that big a deal," I tried to let him know. He was the nurse, he should have known that I would be okay. My gaze focused on the hand with the IV taped firmly into place, not wanting to see the worry on his expression. The IV tape was beginning to itch; I wanted nothing more in that moment than to remove the needle and allow my hand that brief relief.

"Yes, but it could've been worse. You're lucky nothing punctured your lung, or damaged an artery, or...you could have died if one thing didn't go your way. You've been so lucky," Will spoke then, rapidly as if he wanted to get the words out before I had the chance to cut him off. The man was smarter than he looked; he knew that I didn't want to hear any of it. I didn't want to know how close I had been to being seriously hurt. "I don't get why you kept playing. You should've sat out, that was so reckless of you."

That made a smile come to my lips despite the serious setting of the conversation. "C'mon, there was no way either of us could be anything but reckless with the kind of woman we had as our mom."

"Okay...okay, you're right there," Will finally conceded, allowing a ghost of a smile to hint at his features before his face pulled tight into further concern. "Don't scare me like that again, okay, Val? You have no idea how awful it was to see my sister being wheeled into the ED by an ambulance. I'm supposed to be taking care of you until you're an adult, and I don't want you hurt on my watch."

The words made me take pause. Never once had I thought about how he was feeling about the situation. All I'd ever thought about was how I hated to leave Roseville and stay with a stranger that I called family. I hated to intrude on his seemingly perfect life. Never once did I think about how frightened he must have been to take in an orphan. Take in an orphan and promise she'll be well-kept until she's a fully-fledged adult. He had to protect a sister he didn't know.

"I'm sorry," I managed, "I'll be careful. At least soccer's over, right?" Will didn't respond verbally, just nodded and further adjusted himself into the seat. He let his hand drop mine as he settled in, clearly ready to stick around for the long haul. "How long am I stuck here?"

Will parted his lips to respond, but was beat to it by a calm and gentle voice. "Not much longer, Miss Dryden." I turned my head to face the doorway and see a man who was clearly the doctor in charge. His skin was so pale it only barely stood out against the perfect white of his lab coat. His blond hair was perfect and his honey eyes were so striking I knew instantly who he was. This was Doctor Cullen. "That was quite a match, I must say. You've fractured three ribs, but there is no indication further damage was done. So, you should be free to go home. You'll be sore for quite awhile, as your ribs won't heal for another six weeks or so. There'll be bruising, and you may find some difficulty breathing. No strenuous activities until your ribs are healed."

He spoke so calmly that I was easily assured that all would be alright. The man was positively captivating, just as all of his adopted children were. "Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I managed, a smile becoming much easier to paint on my lips. It was no wonder he was such an amazing doctor; the man had a knack for reassuring someone with perfect ease. It was also no wonder Will was always mentioning the female nurses fawning over the doctor; he was as flawless as his adoptive children. It must have been a requirement in the adoption process, I'd decided, that any kid he adopted had to be of the same beauty as he. I found myself wondering what his wife looked like, if she would be as graceful and gorgeous as the rest of the family.

The doctor spoke to Will for a few minutes longer before disappearing from the room. The nurses came back a few more times to check on me, to remove the IV and disconnect me from the machines. Eventually I was dressed in a spare pair of clothes Will had grabbed from the house and was allowed to leave. The ride home was completely silent, and for that I was grateful. Lately Will and I hadn't seen eye to eye, and the last thing I felt like doing was arguing. The doctor was correct in that I was sore; I wanted nothing more than to lay in bed for the next century and a half, or at least until my chest healed, and that I did.

* * *

It took Thursday, Friday, and the weekend until I was able to even stand out of the bed properly, and not until Tuesday until I could move about the house. Finally, a week after the game, I was able to go back to school. I'd been visited by Jordan in that week of absence, who brought me my make-up work and apologize profusely for not forcing me to sit on the bench for the remainder of the game after my injury. I thanked her for the work each time and told her to forget about the match; it wasn't her fault and it was behind us.

I had begun to fit in at the school, but this incident only made me stand out further. As soon as I pulled myself out of the car I felt people's stares on me. Some ran up to me, telling me what a great athlete I was and others admitting they thought I'd died. Drama queens.

"Valerie! You're okay!" Hannah shrieked in English class when I walked in. I was slow moving, but I'd gotten to the class in time. The other girl hugged me, not noticing my soft wince of pain as she embraced me. The blond meant well, and I could see from the look her her blue eyes that she had genuinely been worried for me. "I just couldn't believe it after you passed out! I thought you were a goner! It's so good to see you. You're practically a hero after that game!"

"No, I'm not," I laughed, shaking my head. The girl could be overdramatic sometimes, but that was part of her charm.

"Yes! Everyone's talking about it! You pulled through that injury to help bring the team to victory! There's no doubt that picture's going in the yearbook." Of course, I knew which one. The picture of the team crowded around me holding our trophy; my nose bleeding onto my lower face and jersey. It did look like something out of a movie, I would give her that much, but any other goalkeeper would have done the exact same.

When I walked into chemistry, I was given much of the same reaction. Emmett and his brother were both already there. As soon as the former noticed me, his eyes lit up and called out, "So she lives!"

A laugh slipped from my lips then as I shook my head. He was insufferably sometimes, but endearing. I appreciated the humor when everyone else was acting far too concerned about me. Granted, I was still moving gingerly and surviving off of the pain meds the hospital had given me, but I was okay. People just couldn't seem to see that; except Emmett. "Oh shut it," I simply spoke up, "Everyone's overreacting." It was when I finally got to the table that I noticed the change. "You're sitting in my seat." It was obvious now; Jasper had taken up his typical seat on the far left but instead of acting as a buffer to us, Emmett was perched on my typical seat.

"I wanted to sit here today," Emmett explained simply, shrugging his shoulders and turning his attention to the teacher as the man began to lecture. Any other class and I would have been stressed about missing a week of notes, but I was sure I could easily catch up in this one. That freedom allowed me to begin to drift off, doodling gently in my notebook. That is, until a voice caught my attention.

"Are you truly alright?" It came from my left, surprising me some. The only conversation Jasper and I have had has been less than pleasant. He did seem concerned though, and when I turned my head I could see the way his eyebrows just slightly turned inward to denote such concern. "There've been many...rumors, about how you were doing."

"I'm fine," I whispered quickly back, cheeks heating up at the thought of further rumors being spread about me. "Just a couple fractured ribs, I'll be fine in a few weeks." The conversation was genuinely confusing to me; not once had we had a decently civil conversation, and yet I wasn't feeling any anger building in me when talking to him. It was as though the injury washed the slate clean, gave us a _tabula rasa_ , in other terms. "Why're you so worried? We've hardly spoken."

There was a delay in his response, as if he didn't quite know the answer himself. It certainly was peculiar, but I couldn't comment on it. There was nothing to say without causing an argument, which I genuinely didn't have the energy for. It wasn't until the end of class as I was gathering my books that I even got an answer. It wasn't one I'd been expecting, however, and left me with more questions than before.

"You intrigue me, Valerie. I can't seem to stay away even if I try."

* * *

"Who says that?!" I found myself groaning at lunch, forcing my friends to listen to my troubles. I'd been trying to decrypt the statement from Jasper for the rest of the morning but with no such luck. "What does he mean I'm intriguing? And what does he mean he can't stay away!"

Jordan simply looked amused by me, as if this was a sitcom she could find amusement in. Maria was eyeing me as if she couldn't quite believe what I was saying, one way or another. "You have a guy clearly pining for you, and you're that worked up?" Maria finally laughed, shaking her head and taking another bite of her chicken salad. "You're unbelievable, Valerie Dryden!"

That one stumped me. It wasn't logical to me how she could have gone from his statement to automatically believing he felt something for me, but I couldn't exactly tell her so. Luckily, Hannah jumped to my rescue, of all people. She was the hopeless romantic, so I'd assumed she'd stick by Jordan and Maria's opinions of Jasper's statement to me. "There's no way he likes her like that, sorry Val. But who would try to stay away from someone if they like them?"

"What if it's because there's a forbidden love there!" Jordan laughed, clearly amused by the idea but not definitely counting it out.

A roll from my eyes was what she got in return. I took a stab of my pasta from home before finding the energy to respond to her ridiculous hypothesis. "There's no secret family rivalry, Jordan," I returned, shutting down her theory just like that.

"What if it's because he's dangerous?" Maria said it, and although she was joking there was also some seriousness to the look in her eyes. "I mean come on, what kind of gorgeous family just keeps to themselves like that? They live in the middle of the woods on the outskirts of town, they don't talk to anyone else here, and he acted so stand off-ish toward Val when she even came near him." It was a ridiculous idea, and we all laughed about it; however, the thought lingered with me for the rest of the day.

Even as I sat at home, telling Laurie a bedtime story about her ancestor Gideon, I thought about what Maria said. Although it sounded ridiculous, it did make many of his actions and statements less confusing. It made Jasper Hale all the more intriguing, though I hated to admit it. The question continued to be asked in my head through the next couple of days:

 _What if Jasper Hale was dangerous?_

* * *

 **I hope you all like it! Anyway, here are the review responses as promised! These are from chapter four and chapter five.**

 **AHealingRenaissance:** Wow, thanks! Yeah, Valerie is definitely trying to move on from Emily's explosion. I can't say it won't go away, as that was her best friend, but yes she's trying! Val definitely recognizes that it isn't totally her fault as Em wasn't that up front about her feelings in the first place.

 **yasminasfeir1:** He might be jealous, yes. It might also make the homecoming dance interesting in next chapter. c;

 **peterbutter:** Thank you, I hope you have a lovely day in return! It definitely is interesting trying to slowly weave Jasper and Valerie's stories back together after a month of separation. Emily definitely is an interesting one and I definitely do feel bad for Valerie for having to deal with the brunt of her anger at losing Josh to Val. Thanks for reading and taking the time to let me know what you thought!

 **DarkAngel2581:** Thank you so much! That means the world to hear that you've enjoyed it thus far. Sorry it took a little longer to update!

 **yasminasfeir1:** Aw thank you! You're too sweet, I'm happy you enjoyed it. There'll be more cute moments next chapter. It wasn't soon, but here's an update!

 **kuppcake:** Thank you, it means so much to hear! Seriously, every review I'm getting about how you've liked the story or little ways to improve it just brighten my days and make it a little easier to write even when I'm having a stressful/busy week, so thank you.

 **Thank you all so much, and I will try to get another update out this Friday! c:**


	8. Dangerous

**A/N: It's not Friday. I'm almost a week late, and I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but here it is. I acquired the flu recently so writing was out of the question for sure, I hope y'all understand! Plus, honestly I wanted to take more time with this one to make sure I got it right as things are going to start to come together. I'm sorry! Good news though; I'll get another chapter up tomorrow evening to make up for the wait, and that I can promise. Review responses will be at the end, and I hope to hear from you about this chapter! It's a bit different so I'd love to know if you liked it or not. c:**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**  
 _Dangerous_

* * *

The room was quiet save Mr. Gleeson's lecture on tangent lines. A kid by the name of Roger three seats in front was tapping his foot wildly and from the strain in his partner's shoulders it was clear he was annoying everyone but me. I lost track of how much time had passed since the bell that began class, so had no way of telling when I could escape my situation. The clock in the room had run out of batteries weeks ago.

Sitting beside me was someone I used to be intrigued by. The boy had captured my attention at the start if only for being rude, and then for being mysterious. We didn't have guys made entirely of riddles back in Roseville; he was a new brand of person I was still getting used to. At first the mysterious nature of Jasper only drew me in, but now it only seemed to cause tension in my body as I sat so near him. My heartbeat fluttered away in my chest as I focused more on steadying my hand rather than on what I was actually attempting to write. I wish I could say I'd ignored what Maria had said, but it still lingered in my mind. I knew nothing about this guy; why did I assume he was a good person?

"Valerie." The sharp whisper brought me to my senses, causing me to jump and my pen to slip from my grasp. The girl sitting in front of me glanced back at the sharp rap of the pen on the table but quickly turned to focus again, writing furiously in her notebook.

When I glanced to my right, I could see his head was already turned my way. His golden eyes were watching me expectantly, eyebrows raised just slightly in wait. "I'm sorry, what?" I whispered back, sounding as dazed as I felt.

"Are you okay? You seem nervous," Jasper spoke with the patience of someone who's had to repeat their statement.

How did he know that? I could have easily been focused on the lecture, stressed about classes, anything. There wasn't much outward indication that I was nervous to be sitting in that seat, and yet, somehow, he knew. This boy was strange, that was for sure. Even though he'd begun talking to me like a normal human being, his shoulders still sat as tensed as possible. I could see the muscle in his jaw clench tightly, as though just sitting beside me was taking great effort. Nothing was adding up when it came to him. I'd originally thought that maybe he had anxiety; it would suddenly make sense why he was so tense at school and perhaps wasn't happy about me trying to talk to him. That theory was tossed out the window when I saw him in the lunchroom looking unbelievably comfortable with his foster siblings. _I can't seem to stay away even if I try._ What was that all about? The sentence lingered with me longer than it should have. "Why do you want to stay away from me?" I found myself whispering before it could be stopped. It was Friday, and for two days the question had remained unasked, the confusion building in me until I had no other choice but to ask it.

Jasper seemed taken aback by the question, too, physically recoiling slightly, eyes widening only for a moment. "It isn't safe for you to be near me."

Never in my life have I wanted to hit someone until that moment. I thought that asking him a question would solve my intrigue, and all it did was create a thousand more questions and create a greater sense of worry. I thought perhaps asking him would disprove Maria's theory that he was in fact dangerous, and yet all it did was confirm it. "Why?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he responded then, a knowing smile threatening to pull his lips upward.

"Try me," I whispered forcefully then, turning at the hips to face him. I was thankful that we sat in the back and Mr. Gleeson wouldn't notice us for awhile. "Because the theories I've got right now are pretty wild."

It was silent for a moment. Though he was normally fantastic at hiding what he was thinking, I could see the thought process clear on his face in that moment. He was wondering what theories I had, wondering if I knew the real story. "What are your theories?"

Damn. I'd been hoping he wouldn't call my bluff, hoping he would simply let me know the real reason without me having to play guesswork. A sigh slipped from my lips and finally I asked, "Are you in a gang?"

That would seemed to get him. A chuckle ran through him and even relaxed his shoulders for a moment. It was such a simple action, and wasn't even a full laugh, but for some reason I found myself wanting to see it again. I'd never seen Jasper that much at ease, that amused by anything. "You think a gang is stationed in Forks, Washington?"

The way my cheeks heated up so quickly let me know I was blushing furiously. The heat ran down my shoulders, clear evidence of my embarrassment. "I don't know, it's the only rational idea I've got. Why else would someone be dangerous? Are you a criminal?"

"Miss Dryden, would you care to let everyone know what's so amusing?" Mr. Gleeson called from the front of the room, calling me out for my flushed face and light smile. If cursing were acceptable in school, I would have done it. Why had he called me out again instead of Jasper, who had actually started to laugh? Even now, Jasper was sitting beside me with a hand over his mouth to hide the amused expression taking over his face.

"Derivatives are just so funny, Mr. Gleeson. Doesn't everyone crack up laughing at the sight of them? In Alabama, we just can't get enough of them. Hm, must be a Southern thing." A cool smile formed on my expression as the classroom erupted into laughter. I would regret my sarcastic mouth, but at least for now I was content. It seemed Jasper was, too, for I got another laugh out of him.

"Well, it's a Northern thing to stay at school for an extra hour for detention."

"I can't wait," I responded, and then Mr. Gleeson resumed class. Josh was flying in that day, so he would have to sit at Will's house for another hour but hopefully he wouldn't mind too much. It was unheard of for me to straight up get detention, but ever since the fire it had become more commonplace. "What?"

Jasper shook his head then, the small smile on his face the only indication that he was amused by me. "I thought you were supposed to be a Southern Belle," he chuckled in a light whisper. It was strange, he was speaking so lightly and yet his body had tensed again; his chair was still as far from mine as possible.

That one got me trying to stifle a laugh. "Is that the new theory going around?" I whispered back, rolling my eyes. The bell rang, allowing everyone to stand and escape the room. I gathered my belongings and then faced back at Jasper, "I'm no Belle, I promise. I can hold my own in any situation."

* * *

By the time detention ended, there were only a couple of cars left in the lot. I sent Will a quick text to let him know I would be home soon then started up my car. When I got home, Josh would be there. A piece of home would meet my new home here. Emily, Joshua, and I had hardly been separable all through school. It was strange that I'd been able to find a home separate from the pair. It was even stranger that Josh was willing to split from Emily just to see me. It didn't make sense, and I wouldn't try to make sense of it, but it felt good to know that I haven't lost all of Roseville yet.

Just as I'd expected, Josh was sitting in one of the plastic chairs on the front porch when I pulled into the driveway. He looked just the same as always; clean-cut chestnut hair without a single stray, chocolate eyes twinkling as he smiled brightly. His tanned skin was flawless; he'd escaped the teenage plague of acne so didn't have any of the acne scars I did. Josh always exuded such energy that everyone in town knew that he was much larger than Roseville. The guy was always meant for more, and it seemed everyone but him knew that. Emily and I had always dreamed of leaving Roseville and creating new lives in a big city, but Josh always had smaller dreams. He had so much potential, and yet he never wanted to leave Roseville, instead intending to take over his uncle's local business as a mechanic. It was respectable, but never seemed to fit him. "Are you just going to stand there all day, Val?" Joshua laughed, pulling me from my thoughts. It seemed everyone would just be amused with me today.

"Josh!" I shouted then, the excitement truly hitting me in that moment. He was here. In Forks. With me, _because_ of me. "I missed you!" I continued, rushing up to the porch to wrap my arms around him. "This is still so crazy that you're here, I can't believe it!"

Another laugh, bright and ringing like a bell. I'd missed my old friend. "I couldn't imagine senior homecoming with you, Dryden," Josh returned, pulling me into a tight hug. He was a few inches taller than me, but was built like a football player. He'd always been in shape, being the star quarterback for the Roseville Beavers. He'd always been the most built person I'd met, but even he was rivaled by Emmett, I was realizing now. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Stay in Roseville?" I suggested, shaking my head incredulously. His family was wealthy so he likely never thought of the abnormality of someone buying a cross-country plane ticket just to dance with a friend. "Em's so angry with me because of you."

"Well, she can get over it. Emily's always been a bit jealous of you, hasn't she?" Josh laughed as if it were the most normal statement ever. Had everyone else noticed but me? There was nothing to be jealous of; I had to work hard just like everyone else. Besides, who in their right mind would pine for the life of an orphan? "I'm not in Forks to talk about her, I'm here for you. What've you been up to for the past month and a half?"

"Soccer, mostly," I explained, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the house. "Getting to know Will and his family."

"Oh yeah, Will was telling me about that rough play," Josh explained, shaking his head as I eased myself slowly onto the couch. My chest was still sore, but at least the meds were helping sometimes. "You should really be more careful, Val."

"I can't help it," I laughed in return as Josh sat next to me, pulling my legs up onto his lap. "It's what I do. We won our league, a pretty good end to my soccer career. And how about your football?"

"Val, you know the Beavers aren't known for their football." That was accurate. Never once had we come close to the top of the league tables; it was no surprise that the pattern continued thus far. "Will said you've been doing well here. But...Valerie, are you really okay?" Josh's eyebrows were turned downward in clear worry for me. It was baffling, actually, as to why he felt the need to ask. I thought I'd escaped the questions when I left Roseville, and yet, I still couldn't bring myself to speak the typical lie I'd always returned with.

"I miss home," I whispered, unable to stop it. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really coming to find my place here in Forks," I recovered, "but there's so much about Roseville that I crave. You and Em have always been there for me, and you still are, but I never thought we'd be so split from each other. I miss walking around and everyone knowing about my life thus far. Here, I'm this new girl that everyone wants to know more about. I'm the sister of beloved Will and Rebecca Dryden, but no one knows why I've never been mentioned until now. My friends here are great, but they don't know me like you. I miss my dad, even after everything, I know he always meant well for me. I miss my mom, too. She was my best friend, it was hard enough thinking about going to college away from her, but now? It all seems like too much sometimes, but Will can't understand."

It was a lot to get out at once. I felt out of breath after speaking so much, speaking so passionately. I'd been silent on the issue ever since the end of the trial. It was too hard to stand witness and have my problems splayed out for the entire county to see. It was too difficult to live in Roseville with their constant sympathy and to live in Alabama with the reporters trying to get my side of the story. Emily and Josh were there for me.

"I know, and I'm sorry you've had to go through all this," Josh spoke quietly then, pulling me gently onto his lap. I clung to him then, thankful I had a friend who understood as well as he did. He was here for a happy reason but he didn't scold me for bringing up a rough subject; he just held me as tears threatened to slip down my cheeks. "I'll always be here when you need me, Valerie. I'm your guy."

* * *

I'd fallen asleep in Josh's arms that night. Will had woken me up to move me to my own bed, and so I wouldn't miss Laurie's bedtime story. Ever since I'd begun telling her family stories, she's expected me to never stop. Just like me, her favorite stories are always about Gideon the Civil War hero. Her second favorites are about her grandmother in the town Gideon had helped establish. It seemed strange that the founding family of Roseville no longer existed there. Mom was dead, Dad was in prison, and their kids ended up in Forks, Washington.

Forks, where I was getting ready for my senior homecoming. Thankfully the skies had decided to stop raining for the evening, meaning we could take our pictures outside. The sun was even barely peeking out from the clouds, giving us a few spots of sunshine to deal with.

Josh was in the room across from mine. He was likely already finished getting ready, considering how much longer it took me. It was a joke with my old friends, too, that I took so long in getting ready any time we had to go anywhere. My excuse for the past dances have been that I was always on homecoming court. Now? Now I was nothing, just a girl going to the homecoming dance with one of her best friends. I had no excuse, and yet I stalled. It would be strange, going to this dance in Forks. No mother to dote on me, no Emily to tell me how lovely my dress was, and no dad to warn my dad to be careful with me.

I couldn't stall forever, though. So I exited my bedroom, walking down the hall to stand at the top of the stairs. Rebecca, Will, and Josh were already waiting for me at the bottom. Josh looked as good as he usually does. How had I managed to find such a flawless friend? I made my way down the stairs, giving Josh a quick hug.

"Valerie," he spoke quietly, fingers brushing over the back of my shoulder blade. Chills ran down my spine as his hand brushed the sensitive skin. Of course, I knew exactly what he was noticing. I was beginning to regret my choice of a dress. Emily and I had gone shopping together over the summer for it, not knowing that the open back would reveal a new burn scar. "You're absolutely beautiful." It certainly wasn't the comment I was expecting. I thought for sure he would comment on the pink skin across my left shoulder blade, but instead his hand moved to rest at my waist, pulling me into another hug.

"Thanks," I countered, pressing a kiss to his cheek out of relief and joy. It was relieving to know that he saw more of me than the effects of the past. "You look great yourself."

"You both be safe, alright?" Will spoke, giving me a quick hug and ushering the pair of us in for a few pictures. Once done, I was sitting in the passenger seat of my car with Josh driving us to the school. Even from the car, I could see that familiar group of friends waiting at the front of the school. Hannah was clinging to the arm of Mike Newton, while the other girls and guys in our group were paired up. Everyone looked so beautiful.

"Ooh, so this is the Josh we've heard so much about," Maria cooed, waving from where she stood. Her blue dress looked absolutely lovely on her.

"He's hotter than I thought," Hannah laughed, earning a quick scowl from Mike.

"Guys, stop it," I laughed, shaking my head. Beside me, Josh was simply looking at me. I'd expected a more outward response from him, but instead he just watched me, as if waiting for my reaction first. "Ok, Josh, this is Hannah, and Jordan, and Maria, and everyone I told you about. And this is Josh, one of my very best friends." If I didn't know better, I would have thought Josh recoiled at that last sentence, but of course he wouldn't, because it was the truth. He would always be considered one of my closest friends.

"It's great to meet Val's newest friends," Josh finally spoke up, flashing the group a bright smile and placing his arm around my waist once more. "Let's go inside, yeah?"

The dance was going just as I'd hoped. My new friend group was absolutely amazing to be around; everyone had amazing amounts of energy that night. They hardly ever sat down, though Josh and I had to if only because of my ribs. Josh was always quite understanding when I needed a break, and would sit with me until I was ready to get up again. Even now, he was off finding the punch table.

"I didn't think I'd see you here," a voice spoke, surprising me. Turning around, I saw Emmett standing just behind my chair.

"Emmett? I thought you didn't go to these kinds of things," I spoke up. It was true, on Thursday when I asked if he was going his reply was that no one in his family bothered with school events. It was never their scene, even if it was senior year.

Emmett simply shrugged in response, walking over and sitting down in Josh's seat. "You had a point. After all, how many senior homecomings do we get?" he chuckled as if the comment was funny before asking, "Were you just making up this Josh guy?"

"You're so clever. No, he's getting me a drink," I laughed, shaking my head. Our friendship was certainly unlikely, but I couldn't imagine not having him around. "Speaking of, he's coming back. Don't you have a date to go bother?"

"You're funny. I knew there was a reason I keep talking to someone as irritating as you," Emmett chuckled, standing from his seat as Josh returned.

"Go stuff it," I called back to him, laughing. "Thanks, Josh," I addressed, taking the cup from him with a small nod.

"Anything for you."

I rolled my eyes then as Josh sat down. "Glad to see Southern chivalry still exists, dear," I teased, shaking my head. All night it had felt like Josh was flirting with me, which would be strange. At first I was unsure if it was a good thing or not, but I've since concluded that I didn't want to ruin whatever friendship Josh and I had by escalating it into romance, especially since our lives were on such different paths. I had just sent in my application to Harvard a few days ago while Josh wasn't sure he would even be going to college at all. He was staying behind in Roseville while I moved to the East coast in search of my dream life. I loved Josh as a friend, but nothing more.

When I'd finished my drink, I noticed that the dance was almost over. There would likely be a couple more songs and then my senior homecoming would come to a close. It seemed Josh realized this, too, for he leaned over to ask quietly, "Hey, do you wanna get out of here? We can go grab a bite to eat." We hadn't eaten dinner beforehand, both of us too excited to get to the dance. My stomach made a noise of appreciation, and so I nodded, standing with him and following him out of the gym.

We hadn't made it far down the hallway when Josh grabbed my arm to stop me. "Val, you have to know I feel about you, about us," Josh began, turning me to face him fully. Oh no. I could tell where this was going. My heart began to pound in my chest if for sheer nervousness. The last thing I wanted was to reject him and hurt him, but what else could I do in this situation.

"Josh, please," I tried, resting my hand against his chest. The embrace was too close for my comfort, but his arms wouldn't leave from my waist even as I took a step back in an attempt to free myself.

"No, let me say this," Josh continued, taking a few steps forward and making me follow in the same direction. I didn't realize what he was doing until I felt the cool metal of some lockers pressing against my bare back. The cold surface sent chills down my spine, but so did his breath against my neck. He was so close to me. My head turned, eyes searching for a way out, but I couldn't find one. "For years I've been wanting to tell you, but I never got the chance. Then with that fire, I thought that was it. You were gone forever. But I was wrong, Valerie I was so wrong. You're here, we're here."

"Josh, I don't-I'm not," I tried, but my words weren't coming out as I wanted them to. My fear only began to increase as he wouldn't give me the time to get the words out. His lips pressed harshly to mine, as if he feared this would be the one time he could kiss me. A sound of surprise slipped from my lips as I planted my hands against his chest, pushing with all my might but to no avail. "Josh, Josh, stop," I snapped, voice shaking in my fear as his hands slid from my waist to my upper thighs. "I don't want this."

"Of course you do. You're Valerie and I'm Josh. Everyone thought we would end up together, get married." He wouldn't stop. The hallway was empty and we were far enough from the gym's blaring music that no one could possibly hear us. I had to get out of this myself. Though just from a quick examination of the scene, I knew it was no use. He was so much larger than me, and to make matters worse my head was beginning to swim. "See? Maybe you shouldn't have had so much punch, Val. Now I'll just have to take care of you. Will can't see you drunk, right?" Oh god, he'd spiked my drinks.

"Josh...Josh, this isn't...you can't," I kept trying to form a proper sentence, but nothing was working.

"We're meant to be together. You wanted this, remember? You were the one who asked me to be here. You can't just string guys on and expect them to not want anything," Josh continued. Was I crying? Was that the liquid on my face?

Just when I thought all hope was lost, I heard a shout. Josh's arms slid from around me, and I promptly slipped to the ground. My vision was blurring, from the alcohol or the tears I wasn't sure, but I could make out two figures on the floor. There was a fight. Someone came to my rescue. When I was able to clear my vision some, I could see Jasper over Josh; Josh looked awful. My heart hurt to see him so hurt, but it also ached because I never thought he was capable of acting as he had. I had misjudged not just Emily but Josh, too. Did I even know my friends? I'd opened up to him, trusted him, and in return I got this. I knew Josh didn't mean any harm, but he was deluded. He didn't realize that I didn't want this. I found myself wishing my dad had been there before the dance to give him the warning speech.

"Jasper, stop," I called out weakly. I thought for sure I was in shock. "Stop, he doesn't deserve any more."

It was as though my voice was a switch. His head spun to face me, eyes dark and a furious expression on my face. Jasper was positively terrifying in that moment, but he calmed as soon as he saw me. "Are you alright?" he asked, dropping Josh and hurrying to my side. "Did he hurt you?" His voice was laced with clear anger.

"No, no, I'm fine, I promise," I whispered, head tilted down to look at my hands. Jasper reached out a hand to help me up, but ended up catching me as I stumbled.

"She's drunk," Jasper spoke, but not to me. His head was turned to the side, but I couldn't see who he was speaking to. "We can't bring her home like this, her brother will panic." I wanted to know who he was speaking to, but my head hurt to much. When did I end up in his arms? Jasper smelled nice. I was perfectly content to nuzzle my head to his chest, closing my eyes as he walked.

"Then what do you propose we do? Leave her here?" That was a woman's voice, one I didn't recognize.

"No, Rosalie, we can't leave her here. Not with that punk still here." That was obviously Emmett, I knew his voice well enough. I wanted to stay awake to know what was happening with me. My head didn't want to listen, though. If I wasn't drunk I knew I would be terrified at the knowledge that I was laying in a car with my head in Jasper Hale's lap. I would be terrified that he was the one who found me. Maybe I would have been confused; he'd said he was dangerous, but hadn't he just saved me?

Instead of feeling any of those things, I drifted off into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

 **So there we have it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it! Until tomorrow, love y'all!**

 **19irene96** : Thank you! I actually play soccer as a goalkeeper so the description came from experience. I'm glad to hear it translated okay, I was super worried about even putting the match in there at all!

 **yasminasfeir1** : Hey, thanks for reviewing again! I hope this chapter met expectations. The Will/Val moment wasn't planned but I couldn't stand having them be angry with each other for too long.

 **connnieee** : Thank you so much that means a lot to hear that! That literally put a smile on my face when I read it, you're too sweet. It's so good to hear that someone likes Val because I've put a lot of effort trying to develop her a certain way and at some point she just took on a mind of her own. I love your comparison of her to water, it's not strange at all! It's super interesting to me actually, I'd love to know what exactly that means. c:

 **DarkAngel2581** : Thank you so much, and thank you for reviewing again! It's reviews like this that let me know someone is enjoying the story I'm writing that really keeps me going, and I mean that wholeheartedly.

 **I'd also just like to give one big over-arching thank you. This story is over 30,000 words long and it never would have gotten this far without all of you. Sometimes I get discouraged or lack the energy to sit down and write, but it's the 20 reviews, 122 alerts, and 61 favorites that keep me going. It's the fact that this story has been viewed about 5,000 times and people like it that truly keeps me from quitting on this one. It may not sound like a lot compared to other stories on here, but I am absolutely blown away by the support myself and my character, Val, has gotten so far. Her story is not nearly over thanks to all of your guys, so thank you.**


	9. Come With the Water

**Here we are, another update as promised! It's not the most exciting of chapters, but hey we get more interaction with the Cullens, so there's that! It's a bit of a shorter one, but not for a lack of substance, I hope. I've had this one written since I wrote the last chapter, and I couldn't really wait to post it. Not much to say here, so review responses will be below as always!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**  
 _Come With the Water_

* * *

It felt like a cruel dream. Even when I woke up on an unfamiliar couch in an equally unfamiliar room, I thought for a moment that I'd made up the entire scene. There was no way Josh could act as cruelly as he had. He was my best friend and he had to know that doing such a thing was wrong, right? It wasn't until the wedge of sunlight washed over my face that I fully realized that I was in an unknown room. The north wall was made of glass, a wall of windows that brightened the room. Outside the room I could see clouds hugging the tops of trees; we were clearly on the edge of town where the forest was.

"Oh, you're awake, dear." The voice surprised me, causing me to sit up quickly and whip my head around. The rapid movement sent pain through my head, clearly an effect from the previous night. My hand reached up to hold my temple as I nodded, blinking to wipe the sleep from my eyes and focus on the woman. She looked perfectly graceful. Even without a closer look I could tell she was the mother of the Cullen family; her deep brown hair hung in perfect ringlets and her golden eyes twinkled brightly as she looked at me. "Are you feeling alright? Jasper told me what happened."

Mrs. Cullen was acting open and kind to me, as if she'd met me before. Was this just her personality? I couldn't help but notice how opposite she acted from her adoptive son. "I'm-I'm okay," I managed to return, head still swimming as I tried to remember everything that happened. I went to homecoming. Josh tried to force himself on me and when I thought I'd lost, Jasper came to rescue me as if he knew where I would be. "I'm sorry, I don't...I don't remember much. Did he bring me here last night?"

"Yes, the three of them did. Emmett and Jasper were both worried for you, they've both become quite fond of you, and they wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed pretty shaken up last night," Mrs. Cullen further explained to me, remaining in the doorway from the kitchen as if preferring to allow me space. She watched me patiently as I sat up on the couch, swinging my legs over the side to sit properly. The headache I was sporting was terrible and I'm sure my makeup was a wreck. My high heels were off and sat beside the couch and I still wore my homecoming dress, though it was a bit crumpled from sleeping in it. "Do you need anything? I could get you a glass of water, a bite to eat?"

This woman was too kind. "No, thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I returned then, giving her a trying smile.

"Please, call me Esme."

"Of course, thank you," I responded gently, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to relax. "Where is he? I'd like to tell him thank you, for saving me." Esme told me that he was in the other room with the other guys, likely watching TV. I walked slowly to the door she'd gestured to, taking my sweet time in an attempt to avoid acting like a fool. Jasper had easily seen me in one of my lowest moments and had saved me from it at the same time. It didn't feel right to owe someone when just a day before I was convinced they were too dangerous to be around. "Jasper?" I called out softly when I stepped just into the doorway. As promised, there were three boys sitting around on a smaller couch, watching something on the screen. I was familiar with two of them, both being my lab partners. The third must have been Edward, the other Cullen sibling who I hadn't had a chance to meet as of yet.

"Back to the land of the living, I see," Emmett was the first to greet me, as expected. He gave me a smile, though there was an uncharacteristically serious look to his gaze as if he was actually relieved to see me standing there.

"How're you feeling?" That was Jasper. His expression could only be described as guarded. It was clear he was worried for me, but he was hiding something else, too, something I couldn't make out in his face. He still sat tensed around me, though it had eased somewhat since I'd last been near him. What had Esme meant when she said he'd grown fond of me? If anything, it seemed more like he'd grown tolerant of me.

"Better than last night," I responded then, my arms wrapping themselves around my middle as if to protect myself. It wasn't because I felt scared around him, but rather that I was scared in general. If I couldn't trust one of my most beloved friends, then who could I trust? Not only that, but how off was my trust if I was hurt by my best friend and protected by someone I'd wanted to keep at a distance? "Um, can I..can I talk to you?"

I was expecting some kind of protest. Instead, Jasper nodded and stood from his seat. He made his way over to me, my heart rate speeding up as he grew nearer. The guy continued past me, glancing back every so often to make sure I was still following. Eventually we ended up outside, just at the line of trees. It was relaxing out there in the middle of nowhere. The only sounds came from those of nature; birds, the rustling of trees in the wind, distant water flowing. We sat down on what was a larger rock in the ground. From the corner of my vision I could tell he was watching me, likely waiting for me to speak, but I remained silent.

"Nothing makes sense," I finally blurted out in typical fashion. Truly no one had such a horrendous way with words as I did. I turned my head to look at him then, only noticing how close we were together. We weren't touching, nor were we close to, but no longer was Jasper trying to sit as far from me as possible. His shoulders were still clearly tensed as if he were trying hard at something, but he no longer looked entirely repulsed by me. "Didn't you tell me you were dangerous?"

Jasper watched me for a moment, his golden eyes flickering as he took in my expression. "I am," he responded coolly, for once little tension in his voice.

"Then why did you protect me? That's not a very dangerous thing to do." Everything hurt. The confusion involved in the situation was likely adding to my headache. I just wanted it all to go away. Everything was so much simpler in Roseville. When I lived there, I'd cursed such a simple life, but what would I do to return to that? "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, unbelievably grateful, but it doesn't add up."

"Why wouldn't I help you? You clearly didn't want to be in that situation, so I helped you get out of it. That doesn't mean I'm any less of a threat to you," he responded slowly, as if truly thinking through each syllable. It was the reduced speed of his voice that caused me to notice his drawl much better.

"No, actually it does mean that. You've given me reason after reason to make me think you're a good person to be around, and yet you give me no proof that you're harmful. Why wouldn't I think you're wrong about being dangerous?" I turned my head away again when he didn't respond. I watched as the tree branches swayed in the gentle wind. It should have chilled me to the bone considering the revealing dress I was wearing, but I couldn't feel any effect from the weather. It might have concerned me had my mind not been racing. "You can't give me one explanation?"

"I will, when you give me one in return."

What the hell? My head twisted to face him again, and my expression of shock must have been amusing because he cracked a smile for just a moment before his expression neutralized again. "What do you mean? I've been pretty open about everything so far."

"That's not true. You've been more of a mystery than I have," Jasper told me, not taking his eyes off of me. I would have felt uncomfortable under such a stare had it been anyone else. "You carry this constant weight on your shoulders, this constant guilt, anger, fear. You never give anyone any explanation for it."

It was silent for quite awhile. What was there to say to that? It was as though he could read everything I was feeling, know exactly what it was I've been struggling with since I'd come to Forks. It was almost ridiculous, actually. "What's up with you Cullens and your character analyses?" was the only retort I could come up with. "How about we both start being more open with each other, baby steps."

"You have yourself a deal."

We sat like that for quite awhile longer. I knew I needed to get home, Will was probably worried for me, but that was precisely why I didn't want to move from my spot beside Jasper. Besides, what if this moment ended and Jasper returned to being repulsed by me on Monday? I didn't think I could handle such confusion. Eventually though, I knew it was time. "Can I ask you a favor? I think Josh took my car home, could you, um, drive me home?"

* * *

I was standing on the front porch. Jasper had dropped me off after Esme made sure I knew I was welcome back any time. On the other side of the front door was Judgement Day. Will would be worried and I had no good excuse to give him. There was no way I could tell him the truth; I wasn't sure I wanted to say it out loud. If I never said it out loud, then I could pretend like it didn't happen to me.

I couldn't avoid it any longer. Eventually I was walking through the front door where I could see Rebecca and Will in the living room. Laurie was likely upstairs playing in her room, since I could hear her muffled giggling. "Yes, thank you, Chief Swan. Actually, she just walked through the door. Thank you, have a good day," Will spoke through the phone, soon hanging up and dragging a hand down his face in a show of his exhaustion. It was clear he hadn't slept much that night. "It's nice of you to actually show up." His tone of voice was harsh, causing me to recoil in surprise. I'd expected worry, but not anger.

"Will, I'm sorry, I-"

"You're _sorry_? That was the chief of police, Valerie. I thought you were missing! Josh comes home telling me you'd left him at the dance for another guy, and then you don't come home all night! You can't do that to me, Valerie!" Will began shouting, cheeks turning pink with the effort. I left the front door open, but I couldn't even think about it in that moment, focused instead on his words. Was he seriously that angry with me?

"I didn't mean to be gone all-"

"You didn't mean to? God, Valerie, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you know all of this gets recorded? I could lose custody of you! Do you know what would happen then? You'd get sent to an orphanage. You know why? Because I'm the only one who actually wanted you!" Will's voice continued growing in intensity until he was shouting with full force. I could tell from the sudden dizziness that my face must have blanched. Rebecca was looking at her husband in surprise, as if even she didn't know he could act that way. "Will, maybe you should g-" "No! This is absolutely ridiculous! I have been patient. I've dealt with your accusations for over a month now thinking that was how you were getting over Mom. Now you're breaking your friend's heart, making him leave for Alabama early! Now you're disappearing all night with some strange guy and making me call you in missing! And you have no explanation for me!"

This was too much. My heart was pounding more than it ever had. It was in that moment that I truly began to understand the fight or flight response. I could turn and run upstairs, gather some of my belongings, and rush out the open front door. I could likely make it on my own for awhile, too, and I would longer have to bother Will and his family. I'd already put him through so much. I could also stand my ground, prove to him that I didn't disappear without good reason. So the words slipped from my lips before I had the chance to think of the consequences. "I was almost raped last night!" The scream tore through my throat, and afterward I was out of breath as though I'd run a sprint. My chest ached as the sentence truly hit me. The silence was crushing but I couldn't stop talking lest I never get the words out. "Josh came onto me and-and he wouldn't stop. I thought, I thought he was going to rape me. He was going to, but Jasper Hale saved me. He, he saved me and took me home so I could recompose myself before coming home. He let me stay at his house so I could wait to come home until Josh left. I was too out of it to think to call you, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, Valerie," Will whispered, rushing over to me and catching me in his arms right as my knees gave way. The sobs wracked through my body then, causing me to convulse in his arms. My brother just held me tight, whispering reassuring words in my ear. He was rubbing my back with one hand, telling me things will be okay he would make sure of it, he could call Chief Swan back and get Josh charged, he was sorry for jumping to conclusions he was just so damn worried for me when I didn't come home. I didn't hear a lot of what he said to me, just that he knew all would be okay. He was sure of it, and I was too. For I was crying now, but the weight pressing on my chest was easing with every sob that jerked my shoulders.

"No, no, I-I don't want to press charges," I cried back to him, gripping onto Will's shirt just as tightly as I would have Dad's when I was younger. We were crumpled in a mess on the ground, him bent down to keep me supported and me wrapped around him for comfort.

"What do you mean? Of course we have to push charges, that sick bastard can't get away with that! And then to come back here and tell lies about you, it's r-" Will began to shout, but I quickly cut him off.

"He didn't mean it. I'm not saying I'll ever forgive him, because I won't. But, but I just want to move on. He thought I liked him, and I didn't know that. He felt I was leading him on. It's no excuse, but at least I know he didn't have any malicious intent," I whispered. The last thing I wanted was to stand trial again in my hometown, to allow my struggles to be on public view. "I just want to move on from this."

Will sighed as if it physically pained him not to go after Josh, but soon he nodded as if resigning to the fact. "Okay, I'll follow your lead on this one. If, you promise no more secrets between us. I know you've been struggling more than you've been letting on, but I let you work through it on your own. No more of that, okay?"

He wasn't the first person to ask me that day to open up more. It had to have been a sign, then, letting me know that now was the time to trust Forks. I had gotten all that I could out of Roseville and it was time to shut the gates on it. It was time to try to work through the scars I'd been dealt and I couldn't do it alone. It would take the friends and family I'd found in tiny Forks, Washington, and they were all more than willing to help. I just had to take the first step.

"Okay, I promise. No more secrets."

* * *

 **So there we have it! Again, it's a bit shorter than what I normally write but I felt like this was such an important transition chapter for this story. We meet Esme, Jasper and Valerie have a moment, and Valerie will finally begin to start dealing with everything she's struggling with thanks to Jasper and Will. Up until now, she's been pretty stuck in Roseville and her past even if she won't accept it, but now she'll start building a life in Forks. Including more time with friends and more time talking to Jasper, that's for sure!**

 **19irene96** : Yeah, I know. It needed to happen though not only to show Valerie's naivety in her past life and her transition to maturity but also to really split her from Roseville. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

 **yasminasfeir1** : Honestly, I didn't have it planned until last week. I knew Josh was going to end up being a jerk but I had it planned for much further down the road, but it felt like it fit here. Thank you so much for reading and I'm glad you liked it!

 **SarahELupin** : Thank you! I've worked hard on this character so I'm so glad you like her. c:

 **As always, thank you so much to everyone! I won't be updating again until next Friday, so until then! Thank you all so very much and I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter.**


	10. Catharsis

**It's hard to believe it's been a month. I got such a bad case of knowing what I wanted to write but not being able to get it into words. I just kept writing little by little, so essentially it took me a month to get this done. The good news is, I'm on Spring Break for a week so I've been typing up the next chapter. I'll see how many chapters I can get written so all I'd need to do in the coming weeks would be editing. Anyway, I'm super sorry for the wait! Review responses are below as always!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE**  
 _Catharsis_

* * *

"It's time to talk to us," Will spoke up after what felt like an eternity. I don't know how long we sat on the ground, but by the time he spoke I began to notice that my legs were hurting from being numb for so long. "Okay, Val? I'm just worried about you." I knew he was right. Of course he was, he was the nurse who sometimes knew what he was talking about when it came to medical advice. Still, the last thing I wanted to do was open up to my older brother about everything that was worrying me.

"Okay," The surrender came in the form of a quiet whisper, so much so it felt more appropriate to be coming from a spirit rather than me. My body seemed to move of its own volition as I clambered to my feet. Will led me into the living room where Rebecca was already sitting. Will sat down on the couch beside her, leaving me to curl up in the armchair. I was harshly reminded that I was still wearing my homecoming dress; by this point it was wrinkled and creased from all its had to go through. I could even spot a rip in the bottom, likely from my attempts to get away from my date. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you need to talk to someone about this? Someone professional? I would understand, this is a serious topic," Will spoke up, leaning forward to his elbows rested on his knees. He was watching me as though he feared I'd run away if he said the wrong thing.

"No, no I don't need a shrink," was my automatic response. It would require more time out of my day, it would require them to spend more money on me, it was unwanted attention. "I'll be okay. I just need time." Nothing actually happened, right? Josh tried, but he couldn't do anything before Jasper saved me. If Jasper hadn't been there...it would have been worse.

It was silent for a couple minutes, causing the time to drag onward. Finally, Will nodded and asked, "What happened?"

Was he serious? "I just told you, Josh t-"

"No, not last night. What happened to you, in Roseville? You never told me the specifics."

* * *

If there was a time for a sleepover, it would be after spending over an hour crying with your older brother and his wife. After telling him exactly what landed Dad in jail and Mom in a coffin, I was allowed to ask a friend to hang out. I'd originally offered to have Hannah over at the house, but as soon as I called she told me her parents wouldn't mind if I came over. That was how I ended up standing in front of a small home in the heart of Forks, waiting for someone to answer the door. For some reason, I was beyond nervous about potentially meeting Hannah's parents. Everyone in the town seems to have had some preconceived notion about who I am and who I'm supposed to be, so when they met me some of those ideas got crushed. What did her parents think of me? What had they heard so far? The one thing I knew from growing up in a small town was that rumors spread fast in a town where everyone knew each other.

I thought perhaps it would be Hannah who opened the door, but instead it was a woman who looked exactly like how I would picture Hannah in a couple decades. The woman's blond hair was pulled up off her slightly wrinkled face and her blue eyes shined bright as she looked at me. "You must be Valerie, I've heard such wonderful things about you," the woman spoke brightly, gesturing with her hand for me to come inside.

"Thank you. It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Wright," I returned, offering her a light smile. It felt strange to be smiling after such an admission to my brother, and as soon as the woman turned it slipped from my features.

"Such manners! You're welcome over here anytime, dear. You can go on to Hannah's room, it's the first door on the left there," the woman spoke to me before heading back into the living room.

I made my way to the proper door and knocked once before entering. The room was just how I would imagine it to be; walls painted a light purple, bed made perfectly. Actually, the whole room was perfectly clean save the mess on top of her desk. Clearly Hannah had been doing schoolwork not long ago. "Hi, Hannah," I eventually spoke aloud, shaking her from the book she was reading.

The blond girl's face lit up when she lifted her head to take note of me. "Val!" she laughed, closing her book and setting it down on the ground beside her beanbag chair. She stood up quickly, hugging me once before shutting the bedroom door behind me. "Don't worry about my parents, they're headed off to Seattle for the night. We can take over the living room when they leave." A pause as she disengaged from the hug, sitting down on the floor. She didn't speak again until I joined her, crossing my legs to sit criss-cross. "I didn't get to talk to you after the dance! It was like you hurried off to avoid everyone! That excited about your date?" Hannah giggled.

The one good thing was that no one knew about what happened. Only my family, Josh, and the Cullens would ever know what happened that night. Hannah, as my closest friend at the moment, deserved to know but it was too soon. I didn't want to bring down the mood. "No, Josh is kind of a jerk. I actually ended up hanging out with Jasper for awhile."

"What?!" Hannah screamed, face conveying so much shock I thought for a second she might pass out. "And you didn't tell me?! Spill!"

A laugh slipped from me. In that moment the bad seemed to be washed from my memory, if only temporarily. With Emily there was always some kind of complaining; whether it be about teachers, Lizzy Crandell, or even sometimes about me. With Hannah it seemed we were only having a good time even in the face of some awful events. "Nothing happened. Josh was being a jerk, so Emmett and Jasper told him off. I was kinda shaken up so Jasper offered to drive me to his home so I could calm down a bit."

"Wait, you've seen _his house_? I haven't even seen it and I've lived here," Hannah laughed, shaking her head, "Damn, he must be into you."

"It was nothing! It was a friend being a good friend," I reiterated, wanting to make it quite clear to Hannah before any rumors began spreading about us. I loved Hannah, she was great, but she definitely wasn't a steel trap when it came to information. Still, I couldn't quite hide the blush taking over my cheeks. I could feel the heat spreading until it felt like my cheeks were on fire.

"But you wanted it to be more than a friend thing," Hannah pointed out in a tone that could only be described as matter-of-fact. She was leaning forward as she sat, hands pressing against the cream carpet to hold her up.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but wonder if she was right. She wouldn't be thinking it if there wasn't an ounce of truth to it, right? "You're insufferable," I returned, shaking my head. "Just on Friday we were talking about how dangerous he was, and now we're talking about me liking him? It's nonsense."

"Well who said they were mutually exclusive? Who says you can't like someone who's maybe too dangerous?"

This conversation was getting ridiculous, but it definitely needed to be said. "I don't know that I can deal with dangerous. I've had my whole life planned out for me since I was in elementary school. I'm going to graduate at the top of my class, attend Harvard Law School, and then become a defense attorney like my mother. Then I'll marry someone, settle down, and have two kids. There's no room for dangerous in there."

"That's a lot. You know you can't have the perfect life, right? All my life I've been saying I'll go to Princeton, but it's just not realistic. I have to reevaluate and find an in-state university that I like. Sometimes we have to adapt to what life throws at us," Hannah explained, pausing at the sound of the front door opening and closing. Her parents must have just left for the night, leaving us with the house to ourselves.

As I made this observation, Hannah stood and we both walked into the kitchen. "Yeah, but I've done so much adapting lately. I always thought I'd graduate from Roseville High. Washington was never in the plan. I love the people here, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the plan," I explained as I sat down at the island. Hannah moved about to get the popcorn cooking. We'd likely settle down and watch a movie eventually.

"Yeah, but what if it was meant to happen? You know, like fate or something. I mean, you never would've met me otherwise, right? And you never would have realized that Josh was such a jerk. I mean, what would have happened if you stayed in Roseville? What if you ended up with him?" Hannah spoke, standing in front of the microwave and watching through the little window much like a child would. "I'm not saying that whole 'everyone has a set plan and none of our choices are our own' thing, but what if some fundamental events were meant to happen?"

Hannah had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. This girl definitely had more to her than I'd originally thought. When she first ran up to me in the hallway, I'd pictured her as Forks High's very own Lizzie Crandell; unbelievably annoying and pretentious. I'd thought she was shallow, but she was anything but that considering the conversation we were currently having. Turns out Hannah Wright was unimaginably poignant and had such a depth to her that I never would have noticed had she not practically demanded we be friends. "Maybe you're right. But if destiny had to pick anything, did it have to be me meeting Jasper Hale?"

* * *

 _I'm six years old. The long table is nearly empty save the two people talking at one end and me sitting at the other, coloring. My feet don't reach the ground from the rolling chair I'm sitting in, and are left to swing about. The image I'm coloring is my family celebrating my sixth birthday. In the image, my parents are surrounding me, smiles being the prominent features on their faces. Even Will was there, standing there holding the cake. He would have been a junior in high school at that time, nearly ready to graduate and move on. This would be the last year I would see him; he didn't finish his high school career in Roseville._

 _The two people at the other end of the table are speaking in full voices, clearly unafraid to let six year old me hear it. They would assume I didn't understand any of the legal jargon they were throwing about. My eyes caught on the woman speaking in rapid tones to the man. She wore a business suit and looked absolutely fierce, as if she were ready to take on the world. Her blond hair was pulled up into a sophisticated bun, her wrinkled face done up in makeup that only made her look radiant. When she took notice of me staring, her gray eyes sparkled and her smile shone as she waved at me before continuing on with her consultation. I never thought I would see that face again. If I were in control of the scene, I would have melted into tears right then. It had been months since I've seen that face, that smile that I missed so much._

 _It was then that a phone began ringing in the room. "I'm so sorry, I have to take this," my mother was saying, standing up from the table and walking to my end of the long room. Again, she trusted a little kid with the information; it wasn't likely that I would remember it anyway. "Honey, what's wrong?" she immediate spoke into the voice, sounding both concerned and annoyed, "You know I have a client meeting r-What do you mean he's leaving?"_

 _I watched as my mother's face melted as she listened to my father on the phone. I would never know what he said, but it struck a cord with her. I'd never seen her so upset, and I wouldn't again. "What do you mean? What did you do?" More silence. The silence seemed to be another entity in the room, taking up all of the breathable air and stifling the rest of us. "Robert! How dare you kick our son out of the h-" More silence for only a minute. "He's only seventeen, you can't j-" By that point, I was sure the silence was going suffocate me. "Yes, I'm sorry. Okay. Bye." The phone call ended. My mother wouldn't look at me but I could see the tears streaking down the side of her face from where I sat. I wanted to say something, anything to console her, but there was nothing to say. "I'm sorry, there's been an emergency at home. I'll have to continue this meeting sometime later. Val, Val-Bug, let's go. We have to go, baby," my mother spoke, first to the client and then to me. She was trying to hold as strong as always but even then her voice cracked under the pressure._

 _We left the office in a run, but when we got to Roseville Will was already gone._

* * *

I wanted to confront Will right then and there. As soon as I'd left Hannah's house the next morning, I wanted to drive home and ask him about the resurfaced memory. It must have been one I'd blocked out, because the dream felt like a new occurrence, not a memory I'd already experienced once before. Unfortunately, it was time to return to school. So I shut the memory back down to allow myself to get ready for the school day. Will wasn't even there when I got home, likely already at work. I would just have to bring it up before I tucked Laurie into bed that night.

Walking up to the school was tough. It only reminded me of what occurred there at the dance. I didn't know how I would be able to face Emmett and Jasper after everything, but I didn't have much of a choice. I was tired of running from everything; it clearly wasn't working, so there had to be a better solution. Perhaps facing everything head on would work more effectively.

"How're you feeling, Val?" Emmett asked when I walked over to the lab table that day, for once not greeting me with a loud shout or a sarcastic remark. His expression carried total sincerity and even worry.

"I'm okay, I promise," I voiced, sitting down in my new seat between the two boys. "Really," I added, trying to sound as convincing as possible when I was met with a distrusting look from Jasper. "I took the rest of the weekend to repair and I feel great. Nothing ever happened."

"Okay, but it's nothing you can just shrug off in a d-" Emmett began, but when I have him a look he quickly quieted down. Eventually we were allowed to begin work on our next lab, giving me a good reason to stop talking. That is, until silence continued to settle over our group. I half-expected Emmett to take up the void I left in the conversation, but it didn't work.

"So Jasper, I never noticed before, but you have an accent. You're not from Alaska?" I asked curiously. The last time we'd spoken, when I had paid much more attention to what he was saying, I noticed a subtle accent similar to my own heavier one. It felt as though he had once lived somewhere in the south, but had long since moved away.

"I grew up in Texas before Carlisle and Esme took me in," Jasper answered, and I saw a flash of a smile on his lips.

"How about that? I thought I was the only one'n this town," I laughed a little before continuing on with the lab. "Emmett, pass me the hydrochloric, would ya?"

"It's good to see you two finally getting along. I thought you were gonna kill each other," Emmett spoke up, pointedly ignoring the harsh look from his brother.

I shrugged again, focusing too much on making sure the lab worked as it should. "I don't think it would've gone _quite_ that far, but if it did I would've won that fight."

"I think you might be right about that one," Jasper spoke up, once again allowing a smile to tug at his lips. Every time he smiled, his head tilted downward as if he didn't want anyone to notice that he was actually happy. It was just one more thing that confused me about him. It was even more confusing that we were actually speaking civilly, because Emmett was right, we probably would've tried to hurt each other had the tension continued. We'd agreed on baby steps, but this appear more like a giant leap.

"Well, Texas, I think you'll find out that I'm usually right."

* * *

"So, how was chemistry with you-know-who?" Hannah asked, wiggling her eyebrows like a total nerd when I made my way over to the lunch table. It caused a couple of the girls to tilt their heads in our direction, too, as if this was gossip they couldn't bear to miss out on.

"You know he's not a dark wizard hellbent on taking over the world, right?" I asked her then, shaking my head and plopping down in the seat beside her. "I'll have you know, chemistry was just as it always was and I'm n-"

"Valerie, right?" a chipper voice asked from behind me. When I turned around, I came face to face with another girl. She did seem familiar, admittedly, but I couldn't put a name to the face. Her black hair was styled perfectly and her lithe body seemed so graceful that she appeared to be floating rather than simply standing there in front of me. "I'm Alice," she continued to introduce, sticking her hand out for me to take.

When I took her hand, an audible gasp slipped from my lips. She was so bitterly cold it was shocking, much like my lab partners. That was when it hit me. "Oh, Alice, Emmett and Jasper's sister. It's nice to meet you," I finally spoke, allowing a smile to form. It was still confusing; never once had I had a conversation with any of the Cullen kids except for Emmett and Jasper. I didn't understand why she was over here talking to me, but she seemed friendly enough.

"Well, I just thought I'd introduce myself. I just know we're going to be good friends," Alice spoke before flying off to her typical table where her siblings were watching her closely.

I turned back to my own table, clearly a look of surprise and astonishment on my face for Hannah immediately began laughing at me. "You look like you've been hit by a car."

"I kind of feel like it?" I answered, voice quiet and tone befitting a question better than a statement. "What did she mean she 'knew we were going to friends'?"

"I don't know, Val. That's just Alice Cullen for you. She's a junior, and she's probably the weirdest out of her siblings," Jordan spoke up, "I'd just ignore it."

The conversation moved on, but I lingered. Every so often I found myself glancing back at the table, though each time none of them were paying me any mind. I wasn't sure I wanted to ignore it.

* * *

 **So there we have it! Some more time with the Cullens, some Hannah/Valerie friendship, and a bit more about her history beginning to unravel. Any theories? Review responses are below, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'd love to hear what you thought of it, and until next time!**

 **yasminasfeir1:** She definitely needed to let him know. Thank you for your kind comment, it really makes my day to hear you've continually liked these chapters! It wasn't a quick update, but here it is.

 **SarahELupin:** Yeah, I agree. Some of her reactions are definitely by products of her experiences. I do want to make it clear that I don't think her reactions are healthy or right, but it is a reaction that happens a lot and does make sense from her character.

 **connnieee:** Thank you so much! We'll definitely continue to see more and more of Valerie/Jasperie/whatever y'all want it to be. I'm sorry it's taking so long, I definitely wanted to ease into it naturally!

 **Fiona ray:** Thank you that means so much to hear! I'm glad you liked it.

 **whatsnotbeentaken:** I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it so far! Thank you for reading and taking the time to review!

 **Aurora:** Wow, that is so sweet! Your comment just blows me away, thank you! I'm really glad you've liked the pacing so far. I've been so afraid that the plot is moving to quickly or that I'm not developing Valerie's relationship with Jasper fast enough, so I'm glad to hear it's an alright pace! Thank you, and I do intend on finishing this story, I can tell you that.


	11. Revelations

**Y'all, I'm about to graduate. I've been so busy trying to finish up my senior year, but hopefully now I'll have time to update. This is the big one, folks! A lot of important things in this chapter, though unfortunately not much in the ways of Valerie/Jasper; that's next chapter! I thought I should point out that there is a trigger warning on this chapter. If you are sensitive to mentions/descriptions of neglect/abuse then skip over the italicized portion near the end of the chapter. It won't be important that you read it if you're sensitive to that stuff. Review responses are below as always!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**  
 _Revelations_

* * *

"Okay, so you're not in witness protection," I spoke, only to receive a glance. "Then what is it? I've come up with just about everything." I'd passed my days in calculus class by trying to figure out why Jasper deemed himself dangerous. It never did make sense to me when all he's done is be helpful, if a bit rude in the beginning. I'd thought rude, but never dangerous.

"At this point, you'd be disappointed by the answer," he explained to me. I could only see the profile of his face, his head tilted down slightly to take the notes I was beginning to ignore. It was never something I would have considered doing before but I found these math notes to be far less exciting when compared to solving the mystery that was Jasper. "Why are you going to Alabama this weekend?"

It was then he lifted his head up and turned to look at me fully. It was only for a second or two but felt like a minute. His dark eyes had been lightening over the past couple of days until they'd settled on a rich honeyed color, closer to Emmett's than the black they'd been when we first met. It was a strange occurrence, but I chalked it up to wearing contacts or even just a shift in light in the room. "Stop trying to change the subject." My head turned to face the front, deciding to try listening to Mr. Gleeson for once.

"Why are you avoiding the subject?" Jasper asked, for once insistent on a topic of discussion.

"I'm not avoiding, you're avoiding. You won't tell me why you're dangerous. How am I supposed to believe you if you won't give me some proof?" I returned, whispering to him but not taking my eyes off of the front of the classroom. I could tell he was looking at me, though, I could feel the stare on me.

"You want proof?" The statement caused me to glance to him out of my peripheral vision before focusing back in on the whiteboard that had some strange graphs on it. "I probably would have killed Josh if Emmett hadn't stopped me."

Even the mention of the guy's name caused a soft breath to be pulled from me. My heart rate increased and I was sure Jasper noticed because he seemed to recoil in response. Which was absolutely crazy. "I wouldn't have blamed you," I found myself responding, "And that's not dangerous. That was saving me." I dropped my head to begin taking notes on what Mr. Gleeson was saying, writing slowly and carefully as opposed to my usual quick scrawl. "I'm going to Alabama to get some answers. Will refuses to tell me the reason I haven't seen him in ten years, so I'm visiting my dad."

"You can't talk to him over the phone?" Jasper asked. He was watching me intently, thoroughly interested in what I had to say. In his defense, I still hadn't spoken about my family much to anyone, much less him.

"It's not that easy. My dad is, uh, well he's in prison. I would have to wait for a call from him and that's not happening anytime soon. So, I'm visiting," I finally explained, dropping my voice even lower to avoid anyone else overhearing it. Dad hadn't called me since I ignored him for a couple weeks straight; he likely believed he'd never hear from me again. I had to wonder if he would even accept a visit from me.

"Is that why you were sent here?" Jasper asked then, again seeing if he could pull any further information from me. The way he was watching me only made it more difficult not to answer truthfully. Luckily, the bell decided to save me.

As soon as the bell sounded that signaled the end of the school day, I was out of my chair and gathering my books. "See you on Tuesday, Texas," I gave in a goodbye before hurrying out of the classroom. I had to catch a flight to Montgomery, Alabama.

* * *

For weeks I dreamt of nothing but returning home to Alabama. It felt more foreign than anything, though, when I stepped out of the airport into Montgomery. I'd been to the city plenty of times, considering Roseville was just outside of the capital city. I thought it would feel familiar, kind of like hopping on a bike after a couple years of not riding one. Instead, it felt like I'd never been there, as if I was a stranger in my home state. When I arrived at the prison, I was sure I was going to vomit. Never before was there a reason for me to step foot into a prison, and never did I think there would be. The process of being screened was intensive before I was even allowed to visit my dad, and then came the waiting as approval was pending.

What if he declined my visit? Not only did I want to see a glimpse of family again, but I wanted to get answers. The memory dream I'd had at the beginning of the week stuck with me until Friday. Now it was Saturday and I had to fly all the way to Alabama to get an explanation. I'd asked Will several times but he made it quite clear that he wasn't going to ever talk about Roseville with me. My brother had ditched the place ten years ago and wasn't looking back, not even to give me some peace of mind. Why had Dad kicked him out? Was it the fault of Will or our father? Just a few months ago I would have instantly pinned the blame on my older brother, but now I was only conflicted. For seventeen years I looked up to my father but he'd made plenty of mistakes in the past several months; mistakes I never thought he was capable of making. Meanwhile, Will exceeded any reputation that he'd been given thanks to my parents. Would Dad even want to tell me, after so many years?

Finally, I was called up. "Robert Dryden wants to see you," the woman told me, allowing me to stand and follow her into the room. A badge was clipped to my shirt, announcing that I was a visitor. Inside the room were other visitors already sitting, phones held to their ears and eyes staring across the glass to the prisoners on the other side. Who were they? What were their stories? What would they think of my father and I? I walked into the room, sitting down in one of the unforgiving plastic chairs and waiting for him to show.

I didn't have to wait long. A man in dull prison garb entered the room with a guard just behind him. His facial hair had grown out more than I'd ever seen it and he looked exhausted. Dad looked defeated, but that expression had been typical in the months after Mom died. He sat down slowly, eyeing me as if I was there to hurt him. When he picked up the phone, he remained silent, waiting for me to set the tone of the conversation. "Hi, Dad," I whispered, unable to get anything louder out. My voice was unsure; the last time I'd seen him was in a court room being sentenced after I testified against him. "Sorry I didn't answer before, I was..."

"Angry?" Dad finished for me, looking down for a moment before meeting my gaze again. He had passed the gray of his eyes to me, mixing with the green of my mother's. "I understand. I wasn't the best parent to you when you needed me to be at my best."

"You weren't a parent at all," I found myself saying. "You screwed up big time. How could you do that to me? I keep telling myself that you didn't mean to, that you did it because you missed Mom, but I missed Mom, too. I wanted camaraderie and I didn't get any of that." My vision began to blur, signalling that tears were beginning to form. "I'm sorry, that's not what I'm here about."

"You're here about something?" Dad nodded, letting out a sigh before adding, "I knew it was too good to be true that my daughter was coming because she missed me."

"I do miss you," I returned immediately, "But you were the one who pushed me away. The only family who would take me in was Will. You do remember him, right?"

Dad jerked back as though I'd slapped him in the face. I might as well have considering the harsher tone I was taking on. It wasn't intentional but all of the emotions I'd felt concerning him rushed out of me at once. Never once had I gotten the chance to tell him what I felt about the situation he forced me into. "Why wouldn't I remember my own son? Beansprout, I think you're going a l-"

"Why did you kick him out of the house when he was still in high school?" I asked, cutting him off. Honestly, I was beginning to feel like meeting with him was a mistake. All it was doing was making me angry as opposed to giving me closure about both situations.

"It wasn't like tha-"

"That's how I remember it," I continued, shaking my head as well as I could with a phone held against it. "Please, I just want to know what happened. Will won't tell me and I'm sure neither of you want me to come to my own conclusions."

"Okay, I'll tell you," Dad told me, nodding as if to steel himself to tell the story. "You know how it is in Roseville. Everyone in that town was so good at gossiping, it was unbelievable how quickly news could spread. Each person had to be the perfect Christian or you were shunned, that's just how it worked. It was especially hard on us Drydens, considering we're the founder's family. You were just a kid then so you didn't see the kind of pressures your mother and I were under."

"William didn't want to follow those rules. He was always so much bigger than that town, and we all knew it. I wanted to be able to support him in finding his wings, but he kept damaging our reputation. People began looking at us like we were...well, like we were the devil reincarnate. Not only did people not want their kids to be around Will, but also around us. Other kids sure wanted to be around him, though. That much was clear. I mean, I've never seen one kid garner so much attention. He would throw these parties at the edge of town and there'd be so much alcohol there. Your mother and I kept trying to get him to stop, to see what he was doing, but he just wouldn't listen. He said he could just sit and pretend he was something he wasn't. Then one day, when you were at work with your mom, William came home from visiting a friend. He...he was going to be a dad," Dad paused in the conversation, looking down as if he were ashamed to admit any of this. Surprise was filling my being, unable to fathom that any of this had happened and I didn't know it yet. "I was furious. If the town was shunning us for a son who wouldn't wake up at 6 to go to church, then what would they think of a son who not only had sex out of wedlock but who would be getting a kid out of it? I was trying to protect us, Val. There was no way we could have lived in Roseville if he was staying there raising a child. Could you imagine?"

"So you kicked him out of the house?" I asked incredulously. Had he really had the strength to kick a kid out of the house, especially without Mom's input?

"I kicked him out of Roseville. I told him not to talk to us until he could grow up," Dad explained, shaking his head, "I tried my best with him but nothing was working. There was no other choice, Val. It was us or him."

It was my turn to say something. My lips parted and closed again, trying desperately to find anything to say. How did I never know about this? I lived in Roseville for seventeen years and never once had I heard of this happening. No one had thought to mention my brother? The reputation he had made sense, but Mom always said he got it in college, never in Roseville. Whenever I asked about Will, Dad had always told me he'd left the family, not that it was the other way around. It was suddenly even more shocking that Will was so ready to take me in when the trial was concluded. "What happened to the girl who was with Will? What happened to their kid?" I finally managed to ask, fear causing my heart to race.

"They left town, too, with Will. As far as I know, they stayed together for awhile. I don't know about that part. You'll have to ask him when you get back to town," Dad returned, shrugging his shoulders. The most surprising part of it all was that there was no evidence of remorse on his face. He knew what he'd done and would do it again.

"I'm not living in Roseville anymore, Dad. I moved to Washington where Will and his family lives," I explained. "He went to college, got married and had a little girl. Will's a successful nurse now and such an amazing father. Laurie turned out just like Momma. They're happy, no thanks to you."

"Huh, there's no one from the founding family left in Roseville. They must be going crazy over there," Dad murmured. "You should go back, once you graduate and can live on your own."

How could he act like that? Dad truly didn't care about Will anymore. Maybe he never had. A wave of nausea came over me and suddenly in the chilled prison any longer. "Bye, Dad."

* * *

After everything, I thought a visit to Roseville would be what I needed. Yet, I stood at the city line, car parked on the side of the road. I stared up at the green sign welcoming me to the town as if I were a visitor just passing through. That was all I was to the town anymore, I supposed. It made sense to want to come back home, but standing there staring at the sign only filled me with dread. I didn't want to see the small buildings, or the people living in them. I didn't want to chance seeing Emily or Josh, and I certainly didn't want to have to explain why my eyes were red from tears or why I was beginning to feel that Roseville was no longer my home.

So instead, I got back in my car and drove away from the city limits.

* * *

There was an unbelievable amount of relief that settled over me as I saw the welcome sign to Forks. It was a feeling that should have washed over me when I'd stood outside of Roseville. I was beginning to make a life for myself here in Forks even though I'd originally been so against it. The people here welcomed me with arms wide open and didn't care the typical stereotypes of a small town people. Though they could never replace my parents, Will and Rebecca were fantastic guardians who were always trying to protect me. I loved little Laurie like my own sister, and the friends I'd found here were irreplaceable.

I thought there would be more time to create a plan before confronting Will, but when I pulled into the driveway I noticed his car was already in the garage. Chills began to run down my back as a wave of fear coursed through me. What if he got angry that I'd talked to Dad? What if he kicked me out, rescinded his guardianship just two months before I was set to turn eighteen? I would have to leave this life I'd set for myself here as soon as I came to appreciate it.

"Valerie, you're back," Will called out when I stepped through the front door. Rebecca would be at the school by now, considering it was a Monday, and Laurie was likely in class for the morning, too. "How was your trip?" he asked, giving me a hug after I set my bags down. He was watching me with such earnest interest and it pulled at my heartstrings, knowing I was going to make that expression fall.

"It was alright. You know, I have something I want to talk to you about." That caused a look of surprise on Will's face but it quickly melted into that of relief. He had to force me to open up about anything, so he was likely just happy I was talking about something out of my own free will.

"Of course. You can tell me anything," Will returned as we both moved to sit on the couch. "What is it? Did something happen in Roseville?"

Did I want to do this? Once I brought it up, there was no going back. Still, there was no way I could ignore this. "I went to go visit Dad yesterday." The surprised and worried expression from Will didn't escape my notice, but I knew I couldn't stop talking. "You wouldn't tell me what really happened, so I went and asked him. He, uh, he told me a lot, but I still have so many questions."

That was when his expression darkened. "What did he tell you?" he asked, Will's voice growing hard then, even guarded. "You can't believe anything that comes out of that bastard's m-"

"You knocked someone up in high school and he kicked you out to save face." It was blunt, but it was the only way I could think of to stop Will's rant. It was clear even that the hurt from being estranged never left, understandably. There was clearly some shame there, too, because Will was purposefully avoiding my gaze.

It was silent for a long time. I began to wonder if perhaps I'd gone too far, if it was too soon to bring up the topic, when Will nodded and spoke. "Yeah, I guess he told you the gist of it, then."

"What happened to her? The girl, I mean?" I asked gently, not taking my eyes off of my brother.

More silence. It felt like the conversation we'd had days ago when I'd admitted why I was sent here, why my dad was in prison. Except this time, I wasn't the one speaking, the one in control. All I could do now was sit and wait until Will was ready to tell me everything. "We stayed together for as long as we could. We traveled around for awhile as I tried to find a job that could sustain us and the kid. I had been telling myself for nine months that I didn't want the kid, that it as the reason for all my troubles. No one wanted to hire a kid who didn't finish high school for any high paying job. But, Val, something changed when I held that little boy in my arms. He was mine and...and I wanted to raise him with that girl." Will paused, wiping a hand across his face as if to wipe away any signs of tears. "It was a couple weeks after he was born. We'd both been struggling between working and waking up every half hour when he would start crying. One morning I woke up to get ready for work. It wasn't worrying when she wasn't in bed, I figured she was with James, but she wasn't in his nursery. She left and never came back. I think it all became too much for her. And, as much as I hate to admit it, it was too much for me too. I wasn't even eighteen yet and I was a single father with little way to make a living for this kid. I knew that I had to give him a better life, so...so I put him up for adoption. I looked everywhere I could to finish high school and then moved on to a cheap college. I ended up in Washington at a low cost but good school. I tried hard to find a job, but the only place that would hire me was the hospital in some tiny town called Forks. I'd met Rebecca in college, gotten married to her soon after. Had a kid of my own that I knew I could provide for. I could give her the best life within my power. I'd done that for James by giving him up, but I'm giving Laurie the best life possible by keeping her. I still think about James sometimes, Val, you have to believe me. It used to eat me up, but I know now that giving him up for adoption was giving him a chance at happiness, and my name is on the records so he could come find me someday if he so chose."

I hadn't even noticed, but now that Will was through speaking I could feel tears sliding down my cheeks. It was then I crossed the empty couch space to wrap him up in a tight hug. My brother had been through so much all because of my parents and I hadn't known about any of it. I'd given him so much grief over leaving us without truly knowing why. "I'm so sorry, Will. I didn't-I didn't know when I was saying all that stuff before. I'm sorry Mom and Dad were so awful to you, I had no id-"

"Mom wasn't awful. She actually kept in contact with me," Will explained, only further complicating the situation. "She was against the decision Dad made, but you know them. Traditional relationship, right? So it was Dad's ultimate decision and he chose to cast me out of the family. Mom kept talking to me in secret, though. Not often, but enough to know about James, and eventually about Rebecca and Laura-Rose. She let me know whenever she could how proud she was of me."

"I miss her." The words slipped out before I had the chance to stop them. They were small, barely over a whisper, but commanded the attention of the room.

"I do, too, Val," Will returned, hugging me again. This moment was rough, but I could already tell that we were closer than ever before. We needed to have this moment of realization, of truths coming out into the open. I just had to hope that it wouldn't open the flood gates.

* * *

 _The car was parked outside the home and had been for several minutes. I dreaded going back inside. I was sore still from practice and from sleeping on the couch for so long. The funeral had come and gone but the back portion of the house still hadn't been fixed after the fire tore through it. The living room, kitchen, and my bedroom was salvageable, but Dad had taken my bed as the master bedroom had been destroyed. It wasn't normal for a kid to dread entering their home, and yet it was becoming normal for me. It was absolutely terrible to see the charred furniture, bringing back memories of losing Mom, but it was worse to see Dad._

 _I hadn't gotten far into the house when a gruff voice called out. "Where've you been?"_

 _"Practice. I have practice every Wednesday, Dad," I told him, trying to keep my voice small and tucking my shoulders inward so perhaps he wouldn't notice me as much. He was seated on the couch and I could see the evidence of another day's worth of drinking scattered about the room._

 _"You're really gonna use that tone on me? Did you forget who I am?" he snapped then, standing from his seat and only swaying a little before walking to me with an incredible speed. He grabbed my arm in an instant, shoving me against the wall and iliciting a sharp cry of pain as my left shoulder blade and back crashed into the surface._

 _"Ow! Dad, my back is still burnt and-"_

 _"And whose fault is that?" he growled, watching me carefully from my pinned spot. "And use your manners."_

 _"Sorry. Mine, sir, it was my fault," I returned, gaze turning downward to focus on our shoes. It was easier than focusing on the ice cold look from Dad. He blamed me for the fire, and he certainly blamed me for losing Mom._

 _"Exactly. No matter what, I want you to remember that. Even if you somehow make it to Harvard, find some guy to deal with you, you just remember that you killed your Momma."_

* * *

There was no way I wanted to go to school that day after such a dream. I found myself wishing it was only a dream and not a memory, but it wasn't so. The burn scar across my shoulder blade and back tingled as if the memory reopened the wound that had long since healed. The words kept reverberating in me, even as I got ready to face the day. _You just remember that you killed your Momma._

I needed something to distract me. That was how I started beginning my investigation on Jasper Hale.

* * *

 **So, I hope that chapter was alright! Things are gonna start moving along at this point. I'd love to hear what you think of this update, and until next time!**

 **Pr1nc3ss K3nny:** Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I absolutely love that you binge read it all, and I'm certainly glad to hear you liked it. Jasper's definitely my favorite too, if you couldn't tell. ;)

 **DaniiG:** Sorry for the long wait! Thank you, I really love hearing you've enjoyed the story so far. Val will definitely come to know the other Cullens here soon!

 **Anon:** Thank you so much! I definitely needed to hear that someone thought my writing was good right now!


	12. Vulnerability

**So, yeah, I'm aware that it's been a minute and a half since I've last updated. I am really really sorry for that. I just finished up my first year of college which was crazy and took a lot of adjustment. That's really why I didn't update as I had zero time for writing while I was getting used to being an adult and having, you know, responsibility. I do plan on finishing this though and will be way more active in the future.**

 **Also, can I give a quick thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! We have surpassed 50 reviews now and I love that. Every review I receive brings a bright smile to my face and it's what motivates me to continue writing this. I cannot thank you enough.**

 **This is a shorter chapter compared to my usual, but I needed it to get back into the swing of things. The plot is beginning to pop up more and more! Secrets are getting exposed on both ends! I'm thinking a time skip may be necessary soon, who knows? Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It wasn't that there was nothing to find during the research. No, a lack of information wasn't the reason it took two weeks to come to any kind of conclusion. Perhaps, rather, it was that none of the information made sense. Even now I sat in the library at one of the computers, a strain spreading through my neck from having it bent for so long. It cracked a little as I straightened up, staring at the new article in shock.

The news article was a relatively normal one, written by a tiny newspaper company in Alaska. It was one I kept returning to though, due to the date written in the top left corner of the page: September 8th, 1984. This one article was written twenty years ago, and yet the Cullens pictured looked the exact same as now. Not only should the parents have looked as though they'd aged, but none of the five adopted children should also have even been alive, much less looking exactly as they do now. I had found the news article days ago; it was a simple article about a bright new doctor moving into some tiny town in the middle of nowhere. It should have made sense and yet, there was no reasonable explanation for the picture that accompanied it.

It was beginning to drive me crazy, I was sure of it. My foot had not stopped tapping against the old carpet and my lunch remained untouched beside me. Just the thought of this being unsolved caused my stomach to churn. " _It isn't safe for you to be near me."_ Why did he think he was so dangerous to be around? I had gone through just about every explanation that could make sense, even resorting to some less-than-likely explanations too.

There were five weeks left in the semester and I knew without a doubt that before the semester was out, I would have an explanation for this picture.

* * *

"Is there something wrong?" The question was quiet, barely audible above Mr. Gleeson's droning lecture on derivatives. The pencil in my hand never stopped moving, still copying down what the teacher wrote on the whiteboard. Normally the example problems would be left ignored by me, but instead, I was insisting on trying to focus.

Glancing up, I noticed Jasper had left his notebook abandoned on the desk and instead was looking at me. It was only helpful to turn away again because his eyes were admittedly breathtaking the more I noticed the unusual golden color to them. "Does there always have to be something wrong?"

"You seem to be focusing on something intently." That was the thing about Jasper. He always seemed to know how I felt given a certain day. After the first snow of the year, Jasper immediately smiled and teased the annoyance I felt for the useless weather. Then there was what he told me after homecoming. " _You carry this constant weight on your shoulders, this constant guilt, anger fear."_ Had I made it that obvious to people? The last thing I wanted was to appear to be the weird new girl. I found myself wishing another person would move to the district if only for people to forget that I existed. Maybe then Jasper Hale would stop trying to figure me out.

"What if I told you I found a new love for calculus?"

Jasper didn't even give me a reply then, just an amused look. "Are you sure you're not a superhero?" When he shook his head, I took a breath and decided to try out another theory, the only one that could explain the picture I'd seen. "Are you immortal?" It sounded just as silly as the first question, but he looked clearly less amused by it.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Jasper asked, his voice slightly tighter in the way that it had when I'd first met him. Heart beating fast, I could only wonder if I'd struck something important if he seemed tensed about it.

"Are you saying it's not a ridiculous idea?" I wasn't sure what I was expecting to hear, but the silence wasn't it. Accompanying the silence, Jasper even turned away from me and focused on his blank notebook page, though didn't appear to be ready to write anything down. "Texas, you can't be serious. You're joking, tell me you're joking."

"Is that truly what you want to hear?" Jasper countered, not looking at me still and instead of writing down what was being said at the front of the room, keeping a white-knuckled grip on his pen. It was a grip that looked so strained I thought maybe he would snap his pen in two.

The bell rang but I couldn't find it in myself to move from the uncomfortable plastic chair even when everyone else was running out of the room to get to their lockers and leave as soon as possible. Instead, despite the loud chatter around me, I stayed in my seat and stared at Jasper Hale. Jasper Hale, the gorgeous man who was originally from Texas but somehow found his way to Alaska, the man who started with nearly black eyes but now had honey-colored eyes. The man who claimed he was dangerous but proceeded to save me from one of the worst nights of my life. Someone who wasn't even laughing at the question I had just proposed.

After what felt like seconds but clearly was longer, Jasper stood and began to walk out of the door. "Is that it?" I exclaimed, shoving my notebook in my bag quickly and running out after him. "No explanation or anything? That's it?"

It really must have been a longer time than I'd thought of sitting in the empty calculus room as the hallways weren't nearly as chaotic as they should have been after the last class of the day. It was easy to catch up with Jasper, feet hurrying to keep pace beside him now. "You're not gonna talk to me now?"

"Your explanation for why you find interest in me is that you believe I can't age," he spoke, stopping in his tracks so quickly that I walked right by him and had to backtrack. "You want me to humor that with a response?"

"Well, yeah. You always tell me 'no' if the answer is no," I argued, crossing my arms over my chest when he just looked more annoyed. "We said we'd be more open with each other right? This isn't open." More silence. He truly looked as if he wanted to walk away and that was when I knew I won. It sounded absolutely and undeniably crazy, but I knew then that Jasper Hale didn't age and I was that much closer to figuring out what was different about him. "Why did you freak out when I asked you that?"

"Let's talk somewhere less...conspicuous." It was only then that I realized we were still standing in a basically abandoned high school hallway. Nodding, I didn't even pause at my locker before following after Jasper. We ended up just at the edge of the forest, myself wrapping my arms around my middle after the feeling that I needed protecting suddenly crept over me. It didn't make sense, as Jasper had never once come near hurting me. Still, the last time I had been completely alone with a guy hadn't exactly ended well. I closed my eyes then, trying to throw the memory out of my mind and hating that Josh still affected me like this. It took a few seconds, but I was finally able to open my eyes and focus on Jasper.

Silence. It wasn't the kind of silence between Jasper, Emmett and I in chemistry while we worked on one of our labs; the kind of silence where it brought a smile to my face and a sense of peace over the situation. No, this was the kind such as between Will and I after I had screamed that Josh had tried to take advantage of me; the kind of silence where the truth had come out and no one was happy about it.

This silence was unbearable.

"You think I'm crazy." The words were soft, softer than I'd ever remembered speaking. Even telling Will about everything that had happened after Mom died, I had carried a sense of strength in my voice. It almost brought anger bubbling underneath whatever this feeling was, the fact that in moments this one man could bring this side out of me.

"You don't have faith in yourself," Jasper returned. It almost would have been irritating, the way my words seemed to glanced uselessly off of him. He said whatever he wanted with little regard for what I was saying, at least it seemed.

"This is a little out of my depth!" There it was, the anger exploding to the surface and spilling out of my lips before I could control them. "I don't know what I'm doing! Two months ago I was uprooting my entire life and moving across the country, and now I'm standing here accusing someone of being immortal! Forgive me for not having a little faith in that."

I thought for sure this would throw him off guard, but Jasper didn't even flinch. If I didn't know better, I would even say that he was amused by this. "You seemed so sure a few minutes ago."

"But then you didn't say anything! You just walked out and left me thinking I was crazy!"

"What if that was because I couldn't tell you no?"

There it was. The words I had been waiting to hear but ones that perhaps didn't settle right within me. Looking at Jasper then I could only wonder how long he had been around if he didn't age. "I saw a picture online. It was all of you, from twenty years ago, and you looked the exact same. How is that possible?"

A pause, total and complete silence. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"You didn't think I'd believe this either." How could he possibly think I would accept this? That I could drop the subject and not wonder how this was even possible? When the silence continued to stretch, when it became clear that he wasn't about to tell me himself, I let out a shout and walked away from him. "You are unbelievable, Jasper Hale!"

* * *

"I hate Jasper Hale, I can't believe I ever thought he was better," I huffed angrily as I plopped my lunch down at the table, rolling my eyes for good measure. The others simply laughed, used to me complaining about him.

It was Hannah, though, that gave me an unsettling look. Her eyebrows were lifted just slightly as though asking me a question, her lips pursed and her shoulders tensed up. "You haven't complained like that in a while." Her voice had a certain lilt to it, the same as when she asked me if someone being dangerous was inherently a bad thing.

"He's infuriating! One second I think we could actually be friends or something, and the next he pulls some shit that makes me want to take it all back."

"Does Hale have super hearing or something?" Jordan asked, nodding behind her where the Cullens always sat at their table, refusing to eat anything.

"Wouldn't put it past him," I murmured more to myself than anything else. "Is he staring?"

"He must've heard you. He hasn't stared over here in a while," Jordan continued, smiling brightly. "What did you do? Hale looks like he wants to kill you."

Turning, my eyes caught Jasper's then. He was, in fact, staring right at me with what could only be described as a murderous look. It was like I was the source of all of his problems as if our conversation the previous day had just made his life a million times more difficult. Considering I was partway to knowing his family's secret, I was sure that must be at least partially true. The memory of the meek way in which I talked to him yesterday still lingered in my mind, which may have been the reason behind the way I stared at him back, refusing to admit defeat. It was only when the lunch bell sounded was I able to turn away, discarding my lunch tray as slowly as possible. Calculus was next, and I couldn't exactly imagine sitting next to Jasper after everything that had happened.

"Will you be alright?" Hannah asked, coming up behind me and causing me to jump. It felt as though she'd read my mind, giving me her concerned face.

"I will pay you twenty bucks to sit next to Jasper in calculus." Upon receiving another face, I added, "Please. I really don't think I can deal with him today."

"What happened between the two of you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

* * *

It ended up being Jordan that took the twenty dollars to sit next to Jasper. The look he gave me when I sat next to Hannah was one that could've sent me running out of the room if it wouldn't have landed me in detention. Jordan was pointedly ignoring him, though did give him a glare when she first sat down. I don't know what she and Hannah thought he did to piss me off so bad, though I assume they think it was worse than what it was.

Though, what was worse than finding out the guy you were kind of into was immortal? It felt like the plot of some sappy romance novel that probably had a happier ending than reality would.

"Not feeling your assigned seat today, Miss Dryden?" Mr. Gleeson asked, staring at where I now sat in the front of the room beside Hannah.

"No, not really," I returned, shrugging my shoulders and pulling out my notebook. He could be strict, but I had to hope he would allow this, just once.

Of course, maybe I shouldn't have annoyed him so much. "We have assigned seats for a reason and you are not above the rules. Please return to your original seat, Valerie."

Jordan even wished me a quiet apology as we passed each other. I slammed my notebook down on the table beside Jasper and practically threw myself into the seat, not happy about having more time beside him. I didn't want to hear anything he had to say unless it was an explanation. He couldn't keep this from me when I already found out part of the truth; this was worse than not knowing anything.

"Valerie, you cannot be this angry at me," Jasper whispered beside me. I didn't look up from my notebook but I could feel his eyes on me.

"Actually, yes I can," I snapped back in a harsh whisper. "Now be quiet, I don't know anything about this stuff."

"You are so insufferably stubborn."

"And you're a dick."

"You don't mean that."

"Texas, would I lie to you?" I dropped my pencil on my notebook, turning my head to face him for the first time. While I was sure my expression showed how annoyed I was, his was perfectly calm despite that background tension that he always seemed to carry around me. More anger rose in me at the observation that Jasper was almost always perfect in appearance.

"You lied about why you moved here."

There it was again. Jasper being perfect at talking, at existing, everything. It was infuriating. "That's not something I can trust people with yet."

"Now you understand why I can't tell you this."

"Have I ever told you that you're the most infuriating person I've ever met?"

An actual smile pulled on Jasper's lips then. It was gorgeous, actually, the way his face lit up with amusement then. It wasn't too often that I got to experience actual happiness from Jasper, so it was even more infuriating that my frustration managed to pull it out of him.

"Yes, I think you might have."

"Good, because I mean it," I whisper back, though my voice is becoming far less harsh the more we talk. "When will you tell me the truth, Jasper? I don't think I can take not knowing."

"When you tell me why you constantly feel upset and guilty." The words sunk deep in my chest, and even then fear rose in my throat and stifled my ability to speak. What did he mean? How did he know that? How was it that even Emily couldn't tell that I felt guilty for what had happened to my mother, and yet this man who I've only known for a few months, has managed to observe that about me? It was unnerving that for some reason, I was an open book for him to read whenever he liked. "You're not the only one who's frustrated by all the secrets."

That was when the bell rang and Jasper walked quickly out of the room, leaving me alone with the new discovery that I was far more vulnerable than I ever imagined.

* * *

 **So there it is! What's the ship name for Jasper and Valerie? I can't seem to think of a good one, whoops. Anyway, things should be moving quicker from now on. I hope you liked it and please let me know in a review your thoughts and how I can improve! Here are the review responses from last chapter!**

 **Pr1nc3ss K3nny:** Thank you so much for your consistent reviews, it really does mean the world! I'm really glad the last chapter didn't disappoint, and congrats on the GED! That really is super impressive and I can't even imagine the strength needed to go through school with a kid. Yeah, I'm sorry for the delay but like you said, if I tried to write during the mental breakdown I was having my first year at college, the chapter wouldn't have been good. Anyway, thanks so much!

 **yasmina1:** Yeah, the dad is a bit of a jerk. More on that and on her being "responsible" for what happened to her mom is to come. Thank you so so much for reading and reviewing!

 **Ghostwriter71:** Your review made me smile so much. Like, I'm really glad to hear my writing isn't absolutely terrible so thank you for letting me know! I did take a lot of time and I thank you for understanding, and also for taking the time to review!

 **You Can Go Your Own Way:** Ah, thank you! I really did try to make Valerie a unique character. I feel like I'm biased when it comes to judging her as an OC, so I'm relieved to hear she's not the typical that I always read about! Thank you for reviewing!

 **Kaylala . BooksandCandy** **:** I mean, a year later counts as updating soon, right? Sorry for the wait, but thank you for reviewing!

 **JJ-SNAPE-96:** I did end up updating! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

 **Skendo:** Wow, I do feel bad about taking that unexpected hiatus. I'm back now and this story officially has more than 11 chapters! I should be more consisted now, so thank you so so much for reviewing. It was all of the reviews still coming in that motivated me to update this now, so it does mean a lot to me.

 **ShigureAyameHatoriFanClub:** I've heard that a lot about the summary, but I have no idea how to change it to make the story sound more captivating and less Mary-Sue like! Any tips? Anyway, you have no idea the smile that your review brought to my face when I read it. I'm so glad you enjoyed this and I cannot thank you enough for reviewing.

 **annabel . courtney** **:** Ugh, thank you so much! Reading it all in one go? That's crazy and I love that you told me that because I only read stories in one sitting if it's captivating and not terrible, so that brought me so much happiness. Thank you so much for reviewing!

 **Soul Meets Soul On Lover's Lip:** This is definitely a slow burn. As you can see, Val and Jasper kind of get on each other's nerves right now. It'll get better, of course, but they have a lot going on right now. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and review!


End file.
